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THE  TOUNG  MASTER  OF  HTSON  HALL 


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When  Phil  had  taken  hold  of  the  sill,  Chap  gave  him  a  lift 

Page  140 


The  Tooting  Master  0 
Hyson  Hall 

BY 

Frank  R.  Stockton 

Author   of  "  Captain    Chap,"    "  Rudder    Grange^    etc. 

With  Illustrations  by 

VIRGINIA  H.   DAVISSON 

and 
CHARLES    H.    STEPHENS 


djn 


PHILADELPHIA 

J.   B.   LIPPINCOTT  COMPANY 
ipoo 


Copyright,  1882,  by  James  Elverson. 
Copyright,  1899,  by  J.  B.  Lippincott  Company. 


Electrotyped  and  Printed  by  J.  B.  Lippincott  Company,  Philadelphia,  U.S.A. 


PREFATORY  NOTE 

(By  the  Author) 

This  story  was  originally  published  in  a  paper 
for  boys,  under  the  title  of  "  Philip  Berkeley ; 
or,  the  Master's  Gun."  It  has  recently  been 
thoroughly  revised,  and  a  new  title,  which  better 
expresses  the  import  and  purposes  of  the  story, 
has  been  given  to  it  upon  this  its  first  appearance 
in  book  form. 

Those  who  may  remember  the  story  as  it  origi- 
nally appeared  will  find  that  the  master's  gun 
still  exercises  the  same  subtle  influence  over  the 
fortunes  of  the  Master  of  Hyson  Hall  as  it  did 
when  it  enjoyed  the  honor  of  a  place  in  the  title. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I. — Old  Bruden 7 

II. — In  which  Philip  is  very  much  Amazed  ...  15 

III. — Old  Bruden  makes  a  Move 22 

IV. — In  which   Chap  shoots   a   Little   and  plans 

a  Great  Deal 32 

V. — The  Master's  Gun 40 

VI. — Arabian  Blood , 50 

VII. — What  Jouncer  put  his  Foot  into 55 

VIII. — Chap  enters  the  Fog 64 

IX. — Chaps  Iron  Heel 71 

X. — In  which  a  Story  is  told 82 

XI. — Philip  is   brought  to  a  Halt 91 

XII.—  Emile  Touron 99 

XIII. — Old  Bruden  finds  his  Master      110 

XIV. — Phcenix  sees  his  Duty  and  does  it 119 

XV. — The  Fire  on  the  Thomas  Wistar 128 

XVI. — Spatterdock  Point 137 

XVII. — In  which  a  Council  is  held 148 

XVIII. — Touron  in  the  Field 156 

XIX. — Phil  and  Chap  start  on  an  Expedition      .    .  167 

XX. — "  Zose  Angel  Bells" 175 

XXL— On  Separate  Koads 187 

vii 


viii  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XXII. — In    which    there    is    a   Good    Deal    of    Fast 

Travelling 196 

XXIII. — Mr.  Godfrey  Berkeley  is  heard  from    .    .    .  206 

XXIV. — The  Grocer's  Buggy  Once  More  .......  219 

XXV. — Old  Bruden  makes  an  Impression 225 

XXVI. — Mr.  Touron  attends  Personally  to   his  Af- 
fairs         233 

XXVII.— The  Lonely  Sumach 241 

XXVIII. — The  Eeturn  of  the  Kunaway 256 

XXIX. — The  One  Fellow  who  was  left  yet     ....  266 

XXX. — The  Great  Moment  arrives 276 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

When   Phil   had   taken  hold   of    the    sill,    Chap   gave   him   a 

lift Frontispiece 

Philip  could  not  tell  whether  the  horse's  hoofs  struck  the  man 

or  not 56 

He  seemed  intent  upon  pushing  his  antagonist  backward  ....     117 
With  a  sickening  feeling  of  fear  he  put  Old  Bruden  back  be- 
tween the  mattresses 204 

"  You  had  no  right  to  look  for  me,  sir,  whoever  you  may  be !"  .    248 
A  column  of  water  rose  from  the  river,  together  with  a  mass  of 

mud  and  timbers      282 


■V'i*  TS?&&% 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF 
HYSON  HALL 


CHAPTER   I. 


OLD    BRUDEN. 


I  may  as  well  say  at  once  that  Old  Bruden  was 
the  name  of  a  double-barrelled  shot-gun.  It  had 
originally  belonged  to  a  man  by  the  name  of 
Bruden,  and  by  him  had  been  traded  for  a  cow  to 
one  of  his  neighbors. 

From  this  person  it  had  come,  by  purchase,  into 
the  possession  of  old  Mr.  Berkeley,  of  Hyson  Hall, 
of  whom  I  shall  speak  presently. 

This  double-barrelled  shot-gun — which  was  now 
called  by  the  name  of  its  original  owner — was  not, 
at  the  time  our  story  begins,  a  very  valuable  piece 
of  property. 


8  THE  YOUNG   MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL 

The  hammer  of  the  left-hand  barrel  had  a  hitch 
in  it,  so  that  it  could  not  always  be  depended  upon 
to  come  down  when  the  trigger  was  pulled.  There 
was  also  a  tradition  that  a  piece  of  this  left-hand 
barrel  had  been  blown  out  by  Mr.  Bruden,  who, 
by  accident,  had  put  a  double  load  into  it,  and 
that  a  new  piece  had  been  welded  in ;  but,  as  no 
mark  of  such  gunsmithery  could  be  found  on  the 
barrel,  this  story  was  generally  disregarded,  espe- 
cially by  the  younger  persons  who  occasionally 
used  the  weapon. 

Hyson  Hall,  the  residence  of  Godfrey  Berke- 
ley, the  present  owner  of  the  gun,  was  a  large, 
square  house,  standing  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
back  from  the  Delaware  River  in  Pennsylvania. 

It  had  been  built  by  Godfrey's  father,  who  was 
engaged,  for  the  greater  part  of  his  life,  in  the 
Chinese  tea-trade.  When  he  retired  from  busi- 
ness he  bought  an  estate  of  two  hundred  acres,  on 
which  he  erected  the  great  house,  which  he  called 
Hyson  Hall. 

Old  Mr.  Berkeley  was  a  very  peculiar  man,  and 
his  house  was  a  peculiar  house.  The  rooms  were 
very  large, — so  spacious,  indeed,  and  with  such 
high  ceilings,  that  it  was  sometimes  almost  impos- 
sible to  warm  them  in  winter. 

The  halls,  stairways,  and  outer  entrance  were 
grand  and  imposing,  and  in  some  respects  it  looked 


THE  YOUNG   MASTER   OF  HYSON   HALL  9 

more  like  a  public  edifice  than  a  private  residence. 
The  roof  was  flat,  and  was  surrounded  by  a  para- 
pet, at  various  points  upon  which  bells  had  been 
hung,  in  the  Chinese  fashion,  which  tinkled  when 
the  wind  blew  hard  enough,  and  which  probably 
reminded  the  old  tea-merchant  of  the  days  and 
nights  he  had  passed,  when  a  younger  man,  in  the 
land  of  the  yellow-skinned  Celestials. 

But  when  his  son,  Godfrey  Berkeley,  came  into 
possession  of  the  house,  he  took  down  all  the  bells. 
He  was  an  odd  man  himself,  and  could  excuse  a 
good  deal  of  oddity,  but  these  bells  seemed  ridicu- 
lous and  absurd  even  to  him. 

At  the  time  our  story  begins,  the  present  owner 
of  the  property  had  not  lived  very  long  at  Hyson 
Hall.  It  had  been  but  three  years  since  his  father 
died,  and  during  that  time  Godfrey  Berkeley,  then 
forty  years  old  and  a  bachelor,  devoted  himself,  as 
well  as  he  knew  how,  to  the  management  and  im- 
provement of  the  estate.  He  had  been  very  much 
of  a  traveller  ever  since  he  was  a  boy,  and  he  did 
not  understand  a  great  deal  about  farming  or  gar- 
dening, or  the  care  of  cows  and  beehives. 

A  wide  pasture-field  sloped  up  from  the  river 
to  the  bottom  of  the  lawn,  and  there  was  an  old- 
fashioned  garden  and  some  arable  land  behind  the 
house  ;  and  Mr.  Berkeley  took  a  good  deal  of  inter- 
est in  looking  after  the  operations  of  his  small  farm. 


10       THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

Some  of  his  neighbors,  however,  said  that  he 
was  spending  a  great  deal  more  money  than  he 
would  ever  get  back  again,  and  laughed  a  good 
deal  at  his  notions  about  poultry-raising  and  im- 
proved fertilizers. 

Nothing  of  this  kind,  however,  disturbed  the 
easy-going  Godfrey.  Sometimes  he  laughed  at  his 
mistakes,  and  sometimes  he  growled  at  them,  but 
he  asked  for  no  advice,  and  took  very  little  that 
was  offered  to  him. 

It  is  not  likely,  however,  that  Mr.  Berkeley 
would  have  been  satisfied  at  Hyson  Hall  had  it 
not  been  for  the  company  of  Philip  Berkeley,  his 
only  brother's  orphan  son. 

Philip  was  a  boy  about  fifteen  years  old.  He 
and  his  Uncle  Godfrey  were  great  friends,  and 
there  could  be  no  doubt  about  Philip's  enjoyment 
of  the  life  at  Hyson  Hall.  During  the  greater 
part  of  the  year  he  went  to  school  in  Boontown,  a 
small  town  about  three  miles  distant,  riding  there 
and  back  on  a  horse  his  uncle  gave  him ;  and 
during  the  long  summer  vacation  there  was  plenty 
of  rowing  and  fishing,  and  rambles  with  a  gun 
through  the  Green  Swamp,  a  wide  extent  of 
marshy  forest-land,  about  a  mile  from  the  house. 

There  were  neighbors  not  very  far  away,  and 
some  of  these  neighbors  had  boys ;  and  so,  some- 
times with  a  companion  or  two  of  his  own  age,  and 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL       H 

sometimes  with  his  uncle,  Philip's  days  passed 
pleasantly  enough. 

Godfrey  Berkeley  had  some  very  positive  ideas 
about  what  a  boy  ought  to  do  and  ought  to  learn, 
but  there  was  nothing  of  undue  strictness  or 
severity  in  his  treatment  of  his  nephew,  whom  he 
looked  upon  as  his  adopted  son. 

One  pleasant  evening  in  July,  Godfrey  Berke- 
ley was  stretched  out  upon  a  cane-seated  lounge  in 
the  great  hall,  quietly  smoking  his  after-supper 
pipe,  when  Philip  came  hurriedly  tramping  in. 

"  Uncle,"  he  said,  "  won't  you  lend  me  Old 
Bruden  to-morrow?  Chap  Webster  and  I  want 
to  go  up  the  creek,  and,  if  this  weather  lasts,  per- 
haps we'll  camp  out  for  a  night,  if  you'll  let  us 
have  the  little  tent." 

Now,  Philip  had  a  gun  of  his  own,  but  it  was  a 
small  gun  and  a  single-barrelled  one ;  and  as 
Chapman  Webster,  his  best-loved  friend,  always 
carried  a  double-barrelled  gun  when  they  went  out 
on  their  expeditions,  Philip  on  such  occasions 
generally  borrowed  Old  Bruden. 

To  be  sure,  he  seldom  used  the  left-hand  barrel, 
but  it  was  always  there  if  he  needed  it  and  chose 
to  take  the  chances  of  the  hammer  coming  down. 

It  might  have  been  supposed  that  Mr.  Godfrey 
Berkeley,  who  in  former  years  had  done  so  much 
travelling  and  hunting,  would  have  had  a  better 


12       THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF   HYSON   HALL 

fowling-piece  than  Old  Bruden ;  but  as  he  now 
often  wandered  all  day  with  a  gun  upon  his 
shoulder  without  firing  a  single  shot,  Old  Bruden 
would  have  served  him  very  well,  even  if  neither 
hammer  ever  came  down. 

Philip's  requests  were  generally  very  reason- 
able, and  his  uncle  seldom  refused  them,  but  this 
evening  Mr.  Berkeley  seemed  disturbed  by  the 
boy's  words. 

For  a  few  moments  he  said  nothing,  and  then 
he  took  his  pipe  from  his  mouth  and  sat  up. 

"  It  seems  curious,  Phil,"  he  said,  "  that  you 
should  want  Old  Bruden  to-morrow,  and  should 
be  thinking  of  camping  out.  It's  really  remark- 
able ;  you  haven't  done  such  a  thing  for  ever  so 
long !" 

"  That's  because  the  weather  hasn't  been  good 
enough,"  said  Philip,  "  or  else  Chap  Webster 
couldn't  go.  But  if  you  are  going  to  use  Old 
Bruden  yourself,  uncle,  of  course  I  don't  want  it." 

"  Oh,  it  isn't  that,"  said  Mr.  Berkeley,  laughing 
a  little.  "  But  I  do  not  want  you  to  take  the  gun 
to-morrow,  especially  on  any  long  expedition." 

"  Is  anything  the  matter  with  it  ?"  asked  Phil, 
his  eyes  wide  open.     "  Has  it  cracked  anywhere  ?" 

"  I  don't  know,  indeed,"  said  Mr.  Berkeley,  "  for 
it  is  so  long  since  I  fired  Old  Bruden  that  I  can 
say  very  little  about  it.     But  I  want  you  to  under- 


THE  YOUNG   MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL        13 

stand,  my  boy,"  he  said,  more  seriously,  "  that  you 
should  never  use  a  gun  unless  you  know  for  your- 
self that  it  is  in  good  condition.  You  ought  to  be 
able  to  tell  me  whether  or  not  there  is  anything 
the  matter  with  Old  Bruden." 

"  Oh,  I  always  look  it  over  before  I  take  it  out," 
said  Phil.  "  But  I  thought  you  might  just  have 
found  out  something  about  the  gun." 

"  Not  at  all,"  said  Mr.  Berkeley.  "  As  far  as  I 
know,  Old  Bruden  is  exactly  the  same  clumsy 
shot-gun  that  it  was  when  I  first  bought  it.  But 
I  don't  want  you  to  go  off  with  it  to-morrow  on 
any  expedition  with  Chap  Webster.  I  can't  give 
you  my  reasons  for  this  now,  but  you  shall  know 
all  about  it  to-morrow.  That  satisfies  you,  don't 
it,  my  boy  ?" 

"Oh,  yes,"  said  Phil,  trying  to  smile  a  little, 
though  not  feeling  a  bit  like  it. 

His  uncle's  discipline,  whenever  it  was  exer- 
cised at  all,  was  of  a  military  nature.  He  com- 
manded, and  Phil  obeyed.  The  boy  had  learned 
to  take  a  pride  in  that  kind  of  soldierly  obedience, 
about  which  his  uncle  talked  so  often,  and  it  sel- 
dom bore  very  hard  upon  him. 

He  and  Mr.  Berkeley  were  generally  of  the 
same  way  of  thinking,  but  to-night  his  disappoint- 
ment was  very  hard  to  bear. 

Several  days  before  he  had  planned  this  expe- 


14       THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL 

dition  with  Chap  Webster.  They  had  had  high 
anticipations  in  regard  to  it,  and  Phil  did  not  sup- 
pose for  a  moment  that  his  uncle  would  offer  any 
objection  to  their  plans.  But  he  had  objected,  and 
there  was  an  end  to  the  whole  affair. 

Philip  walked  to  the  front  door  and  gazed  out 
over  the  moonlighted  landscape. 

"  It  will  be  a  splendid  day  to-morrow,"  he  said 
to  himself,  "  and  as  dry  as  a  chip  to-night,  but  all 
that  amounts  to  nothing." 

And  he  turned  on  his  heel  and  went  into  the 
house. 


CHAPTEK    II. 


IN    WHICH    PHILIP    IS    VERY    MUCH    AMAZED. 


When  Philip  came  down-stairs  the  next  morn- 
ing he  found  the  breakfast  ready,  and  Susan  Cor- 
son, the  housekee]3er,  standing  in  the  middle  of 
the  dining-room,  with  a  letter  in  her  hand.  Her 
countenance  looked  troubled,  and  as  soon  as  the 
boy  entered  the  room  she  said, — 

"  Mr.  Berkeley  isn't  about  anywhere,  and  here 
is  a  letter  for  you  which  I  found  on  the  hall-table. 
I  missed  him  a  good  while  ago,  because  he  is  gen- 
erally up  so  early,  and  I  have  been  up  to  his  room 
and  looked  through  the  whole  house ;  and  I  blew 
the  horn  and  sent  the  boy  all  over  the  place,  but 
he  isn't  to  be  found  at  all,  and  I  believe  he  has 
gone  off  somewhere,  and  perhaps  that  letter  tells 
you  all  about  it." 

Before  this  speech  was  half  over  Philip  had 
opened  the  letter  and  was  reading  it.    It  ran  thus  : 

15 


16        THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

"  When  you  read  this  letter,  my  dear  Phil,  I  shall  have 
run  away — yes,  actually  cleared  out  and  run  away — from 
my  good,  kind  nephew.  It  seems  like  turning  things 
upside  down  for  the  man  to  run  away  and  the  boy  to  stay 
at  home ;  but  running  away  comes  much  more  naturally  to 
me  than  I  hope  it  ever  will  to  you,  my  very  dear  Philip. 
When  about  your  age  I  began  life  by  running  away  from 
home,  and  I  have  been  doing  the  same  thing  at  intervals 
ever  since.  The  fact  is,  Phil,  I  have  been  so  much  of  a  rover, 
and  a  rambling  life  comes  so  natural  to  me,  that  I  cannot 
any  longer  endure  the  monotonous  days  at  Hyson  Hall. 
It  is  true  that  I  have  enjoyed  myself  very  much  in  the  old 
house,  and  it  is  also  true  that  I  love  you,  Phil,  and  am 
delighted  to  be  with  you,  and  have  j'ou  near  me.  But 
apart  from  the  fact  that  I  am  tired  of  staying  so  long  in 
one  place,  there  are  other  reasons  why  I  should  go  away 
for  a  time. 

"And  now,  Phil,  I  want  you,  while  I  am  gone,  to  take 
care  of  Hyson  Hall  and  everything  belonging  to  it.  You 
know  just  how  its  affairs  are  going  on,  and,  as  you  have 
kept  my  accounts  for  me  almost  from  the  first  day  you 
came  to  live  with  me,  you  know  quite  as  much  as  I  do 
about  the  house  expenses  and  all  that  sort  of  thing.  The 
next  time  you  go  to  town  you  must  take  the  enclosed  note 
to  Mr.  Welford,  my  banker,  and  he  will  pay  to  you,  from 
time  to  time,  the  amount  I  have  been  in  the  habit  of 
drawing  for  regular  house  expenses.  You  see,  Phil,  I 
put  a  great  deal  of  trust  in  you,  but  I  don't  believe  I 
could  have  a  steward  who  would  suit  me  better.  Don't 
spend  any  more  money  than  you  can  help.  Take  good 
care  of  Jouncer,  and  keep  everything  as  straight  as  you 
can.  Of  course,  I  don't  expect  you  to  stay  at  home  all 
the  time  and  have  no  fun,  but  you  can  see  now  why  I 
did  not  want  you  to  take  Old  Brudon  and  go  off  on  a 


THE  YOUNG   MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL       17 

camping  expedition  on  the  very  first  day  of  your  stew- 
ardship. 

"  And  now,  good-b}T,  my  boy.     I  expect  to  write  to  you 
again  before  very  long,  and  I  am  quite  sure  that  until  I 
come  back  you  will  manage  the  old  place  just  as  well  as 
you  can  ;  and  if  you  do  that,  you  will  fully  satisfy 
"  Your  affectionate  uncle, 

"  Godfrey  Berkeley." 


As  Philip  stood  on  one  side  of  the  breakfast- 
table  reading  this  letter,  Susan  Corson  stood  on 
the  other,  gazing  steadfastly  at  him. 

"  Well,"  said  she,  "  where  has  he  gone  ?  and 
when  is  he  coming  back  ?" 

"  Those  are  two  things  he  doesn't  mention,"  said 
Philip.  "And  I  haven't  any  idea  what  it  all 
means." 

"  Well,  what  does  he  say  ?"  asked  Susan,  a  little 
sharply.  "  He  surely  must  have  told  you  some- 
thing." 

Susan  Corson  was  a  middle-aged  little  woman, 
who  thought  a  good  deal  of  Mr.  Godfrey  Berkeley 
and  a  good  deal  of  herself,  and  who  had  had,  so  far, 
no  great  objections  to  Philip,  although,  as  a  rule, 
she  did  not  take  any  particular  interest  in  boys. 

"  I  will  read  you  the  letter,"  said  Philip. 

And  he  read  it  to  her  from  beginning  to  end. 
omitting  here  and  there  a  passage  relating  to  him- 
self and  his  uncle's  trust  in  him. 

2 


18       THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

For  a  few  minutes  Susan  did  not  say  a  word, 
and  Philip  also  stood  silent,  looking  down  at  the 
letter  he  held  and  thinking  very  hard. 

"  And  while  he  is  gone  you  are  to  be  master 
here?"  said  the  housekeeper. 

"  Yes,"  said  Philip ;  "  that's  about  the  way  to 
look  at  it." 

"  Well,  then,"  said  Susan,  "  there's  your  break- 
fast." 

And  she  marched  out  of  the  room. 

Philip  sat  down  to  the  table,  but  he  was  still 
thinking  so  hard  that  he  scarcely  knew  what  he 
ate  or  drank.  When  he  had  about  half  finished 
his  meal  he  heard  a  shout  outside.  He  jumped 
up  from  the  table  and  ran  to  the  window.  Stand- 
ing in  the  roadway,  in  front  of  the  house,  he 
saw  Chap  Webster,  who  had  just  sent  forth  an- 
other shout.  Phil  ran  out  on  the  great  stone 
porch. 

"  Hello,  Chap !"  he  cried.  "  Come  up  here  and 
wait  till  I  have  finished  my  breakfast." 

"  Finished  your  breakfast !"  exclaimed  his  com- 
panion. "  Why,  I  thought  we  were  going  to  make 
an  early  start !     I  didn't  half  finish  mine." 

"  I'm  sorry  for  that,"  said  Phil ;  "  but  just  sit 
down  here,  and  I'll  be  out  directly." 

If  Philip  had  been  the  grown-up  gentleman 
which  he  was  sure  to  be  if  he  lived  long  enough, 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL        19 

he  would  have  asked  his  friend  in  to  finish  his 
breakfast  with  him ;  but  he  was  a  boy,  and  did  not 
think  of  it. 

There  was  nothing  mean  about  him,  however ; 
he  stopped  eating  before  he  was  half  done,  so  as 
not  to  keep  Chap  waiting. 

Chap  Webster  was  a  long-legged  boy,  a  little 
older  than  Philip.  He  had  light  hair,  and  what 
some  of  his  friends  called  a  buckwheat-cake  face, 
— that  is,  it  was  very  brown  and  a  good  deal 
freckled.  He  did  not  sit  down  at  all,  but  stalked 
up  and  down  the  porch  until  Phil  came  out. 

"  Are  you  ready  now  ?"  he  cried,  as  soon  as  the 
latter  appeared  at  the  hall  door. 

"  jN"o,  I'm  not  ready,"  said  Phil ;  "  and  what  is 
more,  I  am  not  going  at  all." 

Chap  opened  his  mouth  and  eyes,  and  jammed 
his  hands  down  into  his  trousers  pockets. 

"  This  is  a  pretty  piece  of  business !"  he  ex- 
claimed. "  Here  I've  been  up  ever  since  sunrise 
getting  my  traps  ready,  and  mother  has  put  up  a 
basket  of  provender,  and  everything  is  all  ready 
for  us  to  take  up  as  we  pass  our  house.  I  didn't 
think  you  were  that  kind  of  fellow,  Phil." 

"  I  didn't  think  so  myself,"  said  his  companion  ; 
"  but  there's  no  use  of  our  shooting  wild  this  way. 
Just  you  sit  down  and  read  that  letter." 

Chap  took  a  seat  on  a  bench,  and,  leaning  over, 


20       THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

with  his  elbows  on  his  outspread  knees,  he  care- 
fully read  Mr.  Berkeley's  letter. 

When  he  had  finished  it,  and  had  turned  over 
the  sheet  to  see  if  there  was  anything  more  on  the 
last  page,  he  looked  steadfastly  at  Phil,  then 
whistled,  and  then  lay  back  and  laughed  as  if  he 
would  crack  his  sides. 

Phil  could  see  no  cause  for  merriment,  but  the 
example  was  contagious,  and  he  began  to  laugh, 
too. 

"  I  always  knew  your  uncle  was  a  rare  cus- 
tomer," said  Chap,  at  last ;  "  but  I  never  thought 
he'd  be  up  to  a  thing  like  this.  Why,  Phil,"  he 
cried,  starting  to  his  feet,  "  I'd  rather  be  in  your 
place  than  own  a  tug-boat!" 

This  was  putting  the  matter  very  strongly,  for 
to  own  a  tug-boat,  with  which  he  could  make  a  for- 
tune by  towing  vessels  up  and  down  the  river,  was 
one  of  Chap  Webster's  most  earnest  aspirations. 

"  Well,  what  would  you  do  ?"  asked  Philip. 

"  Do !"  cried  Chap,  with  sparkling  eyes.  "  I'd 
do  everything !  I'd  have  all  the  fellows  here. 
I'd  give  the  biggest  kind  of  picnics.  I'd  camp 
out,  right  here  in  front  of  the  house.  I'd  put  a 
mast  in  your  uncle's  scow,  and  buy  a  sail  for  her. 
I'd  dig  up  the  old  wreck,  and  I'd  have  fireworks 
every  night.  Do  !"  he  added.  "  You'd  soon  see 
what  I'd  do !" 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL       21 

"  Yes,"  said  Philip,  laughing,  "  and  I'd  soon  see 
you  stop  doing,  too.  A  pretty  steward  you'd 
make !" 

"  Phil,"  said  Chap,  suddenly  changing  his  man- 
ner, "  how  long  do  you  think  he's  going  to  stay 
away?" 

"  I  don't  know  any  more  about  it  than  you  do," 
said  Phil.  "  There's  his  letter,  and  that's  all 
there  is  to  go  by." 

"  Well,  I'll  tell  you  what  it  is,  Phil,"  said  Chap, 
very  earnestly,  "  if  your  uncle  stays  away  long 
enough,  there  are  big  things  ahead.  You  know 
he  said  you  were  to  have  fun." 


CHAPTER    III. 


OLD    BRUDEN    MAKES    A    MOVE. 


Chap  Webster  did  not  stay  very  long  at  Hyson 
Hall. 

"  If  the  trip  is  to  be  given  up,"  he  said  to  Phil, 
"  I  must  go  home  and  tell  mother  to  take  the 
things  out  of  my  basket.  There's  no  use  letting 
them  spoil,  and  the  children  might  as  well  eat 
them.  And,  besides  that,  I've  got  a  lot  to  think 
about.  I  tell  you  what  it  is,  Phil,  there's  a  stack 
of  responsibility  about  this  thing." 

Phil  could  not  help  smiling  as  his  long-legged 
friend  strode  rapidly  away.  There  was  certainly 
a  great  deal  of  responsibility  attached  to  the  new 
state  of  affairs,  but  why  Chap  need  trouble  his 
mind  about  it  he  could  not  imagine. 

However,  Chap  was  a  great  speculator  in  plans 

and  projects,  and  took  stock  in  such  things  when- 
22 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL       23 

ever  he  had  a  chance.  As  for  Phil,  he  truly  had 
a  great  deal  to  think  about. 

What  should  he  do,  and  what  should  he  do  first  ? 

He  sat  on  the  top  of  the  broad  stone  steps  that 
led  up  to  the  porch  and  thought  the  matter  out. 
It  was  one  of  the  most  uncomfortable  places  he 
could  have  chosen,  for  the  sun  shone  full  in  his 
face,  and  he  was  obliged  to  shield  his  eyes  with  his 
napkin,  which  he  had  forgotten  to  leave  on  the 
breakfast- table. 

The  establishment  at  Hyson  Hall  was  not  exten- 
sive, and  Phil  had  been  such  a  constant  companion 
of  his  uncle,  and  had,  under  Mr.  Berkeley's  di- 
rection, done  so  much  of  the  daily  management  of 
the  place,  that,  excepting  the  responsibility,  there 
was  nothing  very  novel  in  the  duties  of  his  trust. 

A  man  and  a  boy  were  employed  on  the  little 
farm,  on  which  the  only  crop  of  any  importance 
was  a  field  of  wheat.  Until  this  was  ready  to  cut 
there  was  nothing  out  of  the  way  to  be  done  on 
the  farm.  In  the  house  the  domestic  force  con- 
sisted of  Susan  Corson,  who  was  the  housekeeper 
and  cook,  a  woman  for  general  housework,  and  a 
half-grown  girl  named  Jenny. 

Phil  very  properly  made  up  his  mind  that  in 
regard  to  the  general  affairs  of  the  establishment 
he  would  let  them  go  on  in  the  ordinary  way  until 
something  unusual  turned  up. 


24       THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL 

If  he  knew  that  his  uncle  intended  to  stay  away 
for  any  considerable  time,  there  were  some  plans 
that  he  thought  he  could  carry  out  with  consider- 
able profit  to  the  estate  ;  but  as  he  would  not  like 
to  be  interrupted  in  anything  of  the  kind  when  it 
was  half  done,  however  sure  he  might  feel  that 
Mr.  Berkeley  would  be  well  pleased  with  the 
result  when  all  was  finished,  he  concluded,  for 
the  present,  to  give  up  such  projects. 

There  was  enough  for  him  to  do,  however,  and 
there  was  no  knowing  what  might  turn  up.  There 
was  only  one  particular  injunction  his  uncle  had 
laid  upon  him,  and  that  was  to  take  good  care  of 
Jouncer,  and  this  was  a  matter  he  would  attend  to 
immediately. 

And  so,  with  one  side  of  his  head  pretty  well 
scorched,  he  jumped  up,  got  his  hat  and  ran  down 
to  the  stables. 

Jouncer  was  Mr.  Godfrey  Berkeley's  riding- 
horse,  and  whenever  he  went  to  town,  or  to  visit 
any  of  his  neighbors,  he  rode  Jouncer. 

This  animal  was  considered  by  Phil  and  some 
of  his  boy  friends  to  be  a  horse  of  great  possi- 
bilities. It  was  believed,  and  some  of  the  boys 
considered  themselves  good  judges  of  such  things, 
that  he  had  Arabian  blood  in  him,  and  that,  if 
required,  he  could  gallop  with  great  swiftness  and 
leap  over  the  highest  fences. 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL        25 

Nothing  positive,  however,  was  known  ujdou 
these  points,  for  Mr.  Berkeley  did  not  care  to 
make  an  animal  exert  itself  unnecessarily,  and 
always  rode  at  a  jog-trot. 

Jouncer  was  found  to  be  in  comfortable  cir- 
cumstances, and  as  Phil  looked  at  him  as  he  was 
grazing  in  a  little  paddock  back  of  the  barn,  he 
made  up  his  mind  that  he  would  ride  the  noble 
beast,  next  day,  to  town,  to  see  Mr.  Welford. 

He  had  never  mounted  Jouncer,  except  for 
very  short  rides  on  the  place,  and  his  own  horse, 
Kit,  could  be  brought  up  from  the  pasture  just  as 
well  as  not ;  but  it  seemed  to  him  that  in  order  to 
suitably  represent  his  uncle,  it  would  be  the  proper 
thing  for  him  to  ride  his  uncle's  horse. 

Joel,  the  hired  man,  was  full  of  eagerness  to 
know  all  about  Mr.  Berkeley's  departure,  of 
which  he  had  already  heard  something  in  the 
house,  and  Phil  satisfied  him  as  well  as  he  could, 
endeavoring  besides  to  fully  impress  upon  his 
mind  the  nature  of  the  trust  his  uncle  had  im- 
posed upon  himself. 

Joel  thought  it  would  have  been  much  better  if 
Mr.  Berkeley  had  left  the  management  of  the 
place  to  him,  but  he  was  a  cautious  fellow  and 
said  nothing. 

After  dinner,  which,  by  the  way,  Phil  did  not 
consider  quite  as  good  a  meal  as  usual,  he  went 


26       THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

into  the  parlor  to  think  over  what  he  should  say 
to  Mr.  Welford  when  he  went  to  see  him  the  next 
day. 

The  parlor  was  an  immense  room,  very  seldom 
used ;  but  Phil  thought  it  quiet  and  cool,  and  a 
very  suitable  place  in  which  a  person  in  his  posi- 
tion might  spend  a  little  time  after  dinner. 

He  seated  himself  in  a  large  arm-chair,  but  he 
had  not  cogitated  more  than  two  or  three  minutes 
before  he  heard  a  heavy  step  on  the  porch,  and 
then  a  great  knock  at  the  door. 

Susan  was  in  the  dining-room,  and  she  hurried 
out  to  admit  the  visitor.  As  she  approached  the 
front  door,  Phil  heard  her  exclaim,  in  tones  of 
surprise, — 

"  Why,  it's  Chap  Webster  !" 

Phil  was  very  much  surprised,  too,  for  this 
was  the  first  time  Chap  had  ever  knocked  at  the 
front  door.  He  generally  announced  his  coming 
by  a  shout  from  some  point  outside  of  the  house. 

"Is  the  steward  in?"  asked  Chap. 

"  The  what?"  cried  Susan. 

Phil  laughed,  and  went  to  the  parlor  door. 

"  Come  in  here,  Chap,"  he  said ;  "  I'm  in  the 
parlor." 

Chap  took  off  his  hat,  came  in,  and,  after  gazing 
around  the  spacious  apartment  for  a  moment, 
seated  himself  on  a  sofa. 


THE  YOUNG   MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL       27 

Susan  Corson  stopped  a  moment  as  she  passed 
the  door. 

"  In  the  parlor  !"  she  ejaculated.  "  Upon — my 
— word !" 

And  then  she  walked  severely  down  into  the 
kitchen. 

"  Do  you  generally  intend  to  sit  in  here  ?"  asked 
Chap.  "  You  never  did  when  your  uncle  was  at 
home." 

"  I  could  have,  if  I  had  wanted  to,"  said  Phil. 

"  And  of  course  you  want  to  now,"  remarked 
his  friend.  "  Some  things  make  a  great  difference, 
don't  they  ?" 

"  Yes,  I  suppose  they  do,"  said  Phil. 

"  Now,  I  want  to  tell  you,  Phil !"  cried  Chap, 
with  great  animation.  "  I've  been  considering 
this  matter  all  the  morning,  and  I've  come  over 
to  tell  you  what  I've  thought  out.  You  can  get 
eight-ounce  cartridges  of  giant-powder  at  Boon- 
town  for  twenty-five  cents  apiece.  If  I  were  you 
I'd  buy  five,  and  then  we  can  go  down  and  blow 
up  the  wreck  the  first  night  after  we  get  them. 
It  ought  to  be  done  at  night,  so  that  the  flying 
timbers  wouldn't  strike  boats." 

Phil  burst  out  laughing. 

"  You  old  humbug !"  he  cried.  "  Do  you  sup- 
pose that  the  first  thing  I  am  going  to  do  is  to 
blow  up  that  ancient  wreck  ?" 


28       THE  YOUNG   MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL 

"  You  might  get  thousands  of  dollars  out  of  it !" 
exclaimed  Chap ;  "  and  I  guess  your  uncle  would 
be  glad  of  that." 

"  Thousands  of  splinters !"  exclaimed  Phil. 
"  But  you  needn't  think  I'm  going  to  do  any- 
thing of  that  kind  the  minute  I  take  charge  of 
things  here." 

"  Take  charge  of  things !"  repeated  Chap. 
"  That  sounds  large  and  lofty.  I  suppose  you  feel 
like  the  lord  of  the  manor.  But  I  tell  you  what 
it  is,  my  noble  potentate,  you  mustn't  expect  to 
look  down  too  much  on  the  neighboring  barons." 

"  It  depends  a  good  deal  on  the  barons  whether 
I  do  that  or  not,"  said  Phil. 

"  Now,  look  here,"  said  Chap,  changing  his 
tone ;  "  if  you  won't  blow  up  the  wreck,  will  you 
go  after  muskrats  to-night?  It's  a  good  moon, 
and  I'll  bring  my  gun,  and  you  can  take  Old 
Bruden." 

After  having  refused  his  friend  so  much,  Phil 
could  not  decline  so  reasonable  a  proposition  as 
this,  and  he  consented  to  hunt  muskrats  that 
night. 

It  is  true  his  uncle  had  not  wished  him  to  go 
on  an  expedition,  but  this  would  be  on  the  river- 
bank,  in  front  of  the  house. 

Chap  thereupon  departed,  and  Phil  was  very 
glad  to  think  of  having  a  little  sport  that  evening. 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL       29 

Muskrats  were  frequently  found  on  the  river- 
bank,  and  their  skins  were  sometimes  a  source  of 
a  little  private  income  to  the  boys,  who  could  get 
twenty-five  cents  apiece  for  them  in  Boontown. 

In  the  course  of  the  afternoon  Phil  went  up- 
stairs to  the  gun-room  to  get  Old  Bruden,  in  order 
to  clean  it,  in  readiness  for  the  evening's  expedi- 
tion. The  gun-room  was  a  small  one  on  an  upper 
floor,  the  walls  of  which  were  full  of  pegs  and 
hooks  for  fowling-pieces,  game-bags,  and  all  the 
other  accoutrements  of  the  sportsman  ;  but  the 
room  had  never  been  furnished,  as  had  been 
originally  intended.  With  the  exception  of  Old 
Bruden,  his  own  little  gun,  and  a  few  flasks  and 
pouches,  there  had  never  been  anything  on  the 
walls  but  pegs  and  hooks. 

Old  Mr.  Berkeley  had  intended  to  be  a  sports- 
man, but  before  he  could  carry  out  his  purpose 
had  become  too  infirm  to  care  about  it. 

Phil  stepped  up  to  the  two  pegs  on  which  Old 
Bruden  had  always  hung  when  not  in  use,  but,  to 
his  utter  amazement,  the  gun  was  not  there. 

He  could  not  understand  this  at  all.  It  had 
been  one  of  his  uncle's  most  inflexible  rules  that 
neither  of  the  guns  were  ever  to  be  left  about  the 
house,  but  were  always,  when  brought  in,  to  be 
taken  to  this  room  and  hung  in  their  places. 

Could    it   be   possible  his  Uncle  Godfrey  had 


30       THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL 

taken  Old  Bruden  with  him  ?  He  presently  came 
to  the  conclusion  that  this  must  be  the  case,  and 
yet  he  could  not  imagine  why  in  the  world  his 
uncle  should  want  to  take  a  gun  with  him.  Was 
he  going  on  a  long  tramp  over  the  country  ? 

Another  thing  surprised  him.  None  of  the  shot- 
pouches  or  powder-flasks  were  missing.  What  was 
the  good  of  a  gun  without  ammunition  ? 

But  these  questions  were  too  puzzling  for  him, 
and  he  gave  them  up.  He  took  his  own  little  gun 
and  went  down-stairs."  While  he  was  cleaning  it 
in  the  back-yard,  Jenny  came  by  from  the  barn 
with  some  eggs  in  her  apron. 

"  Jenny,"  said  Phil,  "  did  you  see  my  uncle  go 
away  this  morning  ?" 

Jenny  stopped,  and,  for  a  moment,  was  silent. 
Then  she  said, — 

"  I  can't  tell  you." 

"  Oh,  then,"  exclaimed  Phil,  "  of  course  you 
saw  him  !     Did  he  take  Old  Bruden  with  him  ?" 

"  He  didn't  tell  me,"  said  Jenny,  "  not  to  tell 
that  I  saw  him  go,  though  I  don't  believe  he 
wanted  me  to  tell.  But  he  did  tell  me  not  to 
say  how  or  when  he  went,  and  if  I  say  he  went 
with  a  gun,  that  would  be  telling  how  he  went, 
wouldn't  it?" 

"  I  suppose  so,"  said  Phil.  "  I  don't  want  you 
to  disobey  any  orders." 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL       31 

And  Jenny  passed  on  to  the  house. 

After  supper,  Phil  laid  down  on  the  cane-seated 
lounge  in  the  hall  to  await  for  Chap.  He  did  not 
expect  him  early,  for  the  moon  did  not  rise  until 
after  eight  o'clock,  and  it  was  of  no  use  going  out 
at  night  after  muskrats  until  that  luminary  had 
lighted  up  the  river-bank.  He  was  just  dropping 
off  into  a  little  doze,  when  Jenny,  coming  from 
the  kitchen,  ran  to  the  lounge. 

"  I  haven't  a  minute  to  stop,"  she  whispered, 
"  for  Susan  sent  me  up-stairs  to  light  the  lamp  in 
our  room,  and  she  is  coming  right  after  me.  I've 
found  out  something.  I  can't  say  anything  about 
it  now,  but  to-morrow  I'll  tell  you  what  it  is, 
Master  Phil." 

And  away  she  ran. 

Phil  did  not  feel  in  the  humor  for  guessing 
conundrums.  He  had  had  enough  of  that  sort  of 
thing  for  one  day,  and  he  stretched  himself  out 
again  for  another  doze. 

This  time  he  dropped  into  a  sleep,  which  lasted 
fifteen  or  twenty  minutes,  from  which  he  was 
aroused  by  footsteps  on  the  porch. 

"  Come  in,"  cried  Phil,  jumping  up. 

A  person  entered,  but  he  was  not  Chapman 
Webster. 


CHAPTEK    IV. 


IN    WHICH    CHAP    SHOOTS   A    LITTLE   AND    PLANS   A 
GREAT    DEAL. 

The  person  who  entered  the  front  door  of  Hy- 
son Hall  when  Philip  cried  "  Come  in !"  was 
a  small,  smooth-shaven  man,  wearing  a  high- 
crowned,  black  straw  hat.  There  was  a  hanging- 
lamp  burning  in  the  hall,  and  as  Phil  sprang  up 
to  receive  his  visitor  he  could  see  his  features  dis- 
tinctly, but  he  did  not  recognize  him.  He  had 
never  seen  the  man  before. 

"  Is  Mr.  Berkeley  in  ?"  asked  the  visitor,  taking 
off  his  hat. 

"  No,  sir,"  answered  Philip,  "  he  is  not." 

"  Can  you  tell  me  when  he  will  be  here  ?  Do 
you  expect  him  to-night  ?" 

"  No,"  said  Philip,  "  he  will  not  be  home  to- 
night, and  I  can't  tell  you  just  when  he  will 
return." 

32 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL       33 

"  That's  curious,"  said  the  man.  "  I'd  'a'  thought 
he'd  told  you  what  time  he'd  be  back." 

"  Is  there  anything  I  can  do  for  you  ?"  asked 
Phil,  not  caring  to  pursue  the  previous  subject 
any  further. 

"  No,"  said  the  man,  "  I  don't  think  there  is. 
Is  there  any  grown  person  about  the  house  that  I 
can  speak  to  ?" 

This  remark  nettled  Phil. 

"  No,"  said  he,  "  there  is  no  grown  person  here. 
My  uncle  left  me  in  charge  of  the  place,  and  if 
you  have  anything  to  say,  you  can  say  it  to  me." 

"  I  hardly  think  I  will,"  said  the  man,  putting 
on  his  hat.     "  I  guess  I'll  call  again  some  time." 

"  All  right,"  said  Phil.  And  the  j>erson  de- 
parted. 

This  visit  perplexed  Phil  a  good  deal,  and  an- 
noyed him  also.  If  people  did  not  intend  to 
recognize  him  as  general  manager  of  Hyson  Hall, 
there  would  be  no  use  in  his  trying  to  go  on  with 
the  business. 

He  wondered,  too,  who  this  man  could  be.  He 
thought  he  knew  everybody  with  whom  his  uncle 
ordinarily  did  business,  but  this  man  was  a  perfect 
stranger  to  him.  He  had  been  considering  the 
matter  but  a  short  time  when  Chap  arrived. 

"Who  is  that  old  fellow  out  there  talking  to 
your  Susan  ?"  inquired  Chap. 


34       THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

"Talking  to  Susan!"  cried  Phil.  "Why,  I 
thought  she  was  in  bed  long  ago.  And  why 
should  he  be  talking  to  her  ?" 

And  with  this  remark  he  started  for  the  door. 

"  Oh,  you  needn't  go  after  him,"  said  Chap ; 
"  he  left  just  as  I  came  up.     Who  was  he  ?" 

Phil  gave  his  friend  no  further  satisfaction 
about  the  man  with  the  black  straw  hat,  except  that 
he  was  a  person  who  had  come  to  see  his  uncle. 
He  had  no  disposition  to  talk  upon  the  subject. 

"  Well,"  said  Chap,  "  are  we  going  after  musk- 
rats  ?     Or  has  that  little  expedition  been  put  off?" 

"  We'll  do  that,"  said  Phil,  taking  his  gun  from 
a  corner  and  putting  on  his  hat.     "  Come  along." 

Phil  locked  the  front  door  and  put  the  key  in 
his  pocket,  and  then  the  two  boys,  with  their  guns 
on  their  shoulders,  walked  over  the  lawn  and  the 
pasture-field  to  the  river. 

It  was  not,  perhaps,  altogether  wise  for  Phil  to 
leave  the  house  that  night,  with  nobody  in  it  but  a 
woman  and  a  girl,  but  the  man,  Joel,  lived  with 
his  mother  in  a  small  cottage  just  back  of  the  gar- 
den, and  Phil  himself  did  not  intend  to  go  out  of 
sight  of  the  house. 

The  two  boys  had  not  walked  very  far  before 
Chap  stopped  and  exclaimed, — 

"  Why,  Phil,  what  are  you  doing  with  that 
little  pop-gun  ?" 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL       35 

"  Oh,  this  will  do  well  enough  to  shoot  all  the 
muskrats  we  shall  see,"  said  Phil. 

"  But,  why  didn't  you  bring  Old  Bruden  ?"  per- 
sisted Chap. 

"  Never  you  mind  why  I  didn't !"  answered 
Phil,  a  little  impatiently. 

He  was  generally  a  good-humored  fellow,  but 
his  mind  had  been  greatly  ruffled  that  day. 

"  My  Lord  High  Steward,"  said  Chap,  after 
they  had  walked  a  little  way  in  silence,  "  I  see 
what  this  thing  is  coming  to.  You  are  enveloping 
yourself  in  a  cloud  of  mystery.  That  may  be  all 
very  well  for  a  fellow  just  starting  off  on  a  track 
which  hasn't  been  surveyed  yet,  and  which  is  to 
go  nobody  knows  where,  and  no  rails  laid,  but  if 
you  don't  want  me  to  thrust  aside  the  cloud  with 
my  strong  right  arm,  you'd  better  let  me  inside 
the  fog,  I  tell  you,  my  boy." 

"  You've  got  a  nice  lot  of  metaphors  tangled  up 
there,"  said  Phil.  "  If  you  were  to  pick  them  out 
and  hang  them  up  to  dry,  in  assorted  sizes,  a 
fellow  might  find  out  what  you're  trying  to  say." 

The  boys  did  not  see  many  muskrats  that  even- 
ing. After  a  good  deal  of  waiting  and  watching 
they  shot  two. 

Chap  proposed  that  they  should  go  about  half 
a  mile  farther  down  the  river,  where  there  were 
some   low   meadow-lands,  protected   by  embank- 


36        THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

ments,  and  where  there  were  generally  a  good 
many  muskrats  to  be  found. 

These  animals  delight  to  burrow,  and  they  some- 
times made  such  extensive  excavations  into  the  em- 
bankments that  these  gave  way,  and  the  meadows 
were  flooded  when  the  tide  came  in. 

"  You  know  it's  doing  a  real  service  to  Mr. 
Hamlin  to  shoot  the  muskrats  down  there,"  said 
Chap. 

Phil  would  have  been  very  willing  to  do  his 
neighbor  a  service,  but  he  refused  to  go  off  his 
uncle's  place. 

"  Well,  I  will  tell  you  what  let's  do,"  said  Chap. 
"  Let's  go  down  and  look  at  the  wreck.  That  is 
on  your  pla.ee,  and  I've  never  seen  it  by  moon- 
light." 

"  Very  well,"  said  Phil,  "  we'll  go  and  look  at 
it." 

The  wreck,  of  which  Chap  Webster  had  made 
frequent  mention,  was  the  remains  of  a  good- 
sized  vessel,  which  was  deeply  embedded  in  the 
mud  of  the  river,  at  one  corner  of  the  Hyson 
Hall  estate. 

At  high  tide  it  could  not  be  seen  at  all,  but 
when  the  tide  was  low  a  number  of  its  forward 
ribs  stuck  up  out  of  the  mud. 

It  was  generally  believed,  especially  by  the  boys 
of  the  neighborhood,  that  this  was  the  wreck  of  a 


THE  YOUNG   MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL       37 

British  sloop-of-war,  which,  in  the  time  of  the 
Revolution,  had  got  into  trouble  down  the  river 
and  had  run  up  here  for  safety,  but  had  afterwards 
been  abandoned  and  sunk. 

It  was  certain  that  the  ship  had  come  there 
when  this  part  of  the  country  was  very  thinly 
settled,  for  there  was  no  one  in  the  neighborhood 
who  was  able  to  give  the  exact  facts  in  the  case  ; 
but  the  story  of  the  British  war- vessel  was  a  very 
good  one,  and  was  generally  believed. 

Chap  Webster  was  one  of  a  few  persons  who 
felt  sure  that  there  was  a  lot  of  British  gold  buried 
in  this  wreck. 

"  All  war- vessels  have  to  carry  quantities  of 
money,"  he  argued,  "  to  pay  off  the  crew  and  to 
do  ever  so  manv  other  things.  And  then,  some- 
times,  they  have  prize-money  aboard." 

The  two  boys  walked  out  as  far  as  the  river- 
beach  was  firm  enough  to  give  them  footing,  and 
gazed  at  the  wreck. 

The  tide  was  at  its  lowest  ebb,  and  as  much  of 
the  sunken  vessel  was  visible  as  it  was  j)ossible  to 
see  at  any  time. 

The  prospect  was  certainly  not  a  hopeful  one  to 
any  person  who  had  an  idea  of  raising  the  old 
wreck.  A  few  ribs  stuck  up  in  a  mournful  way 
out  of  the  watery  mud,  and  that  was  all. 

"  Why,  Chap,"  said  Phil,  "  we  would  have  to 


38        THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

take  out  twenty  scow-loads  of  mud  before  we  could 
get  at  the  fore-part  of  that  vessel,  and  then  we 
would  not  find  anything  worth  having,  anyway. 
All  the  valuables  on  board  a  ship  are  kept  in  the 
officers'  quarters,  near  the  stern,  and  that  is  sunk 
in  deep  water." 

"  Mud  wouldn't  matter,"  said  the  sanguine 
Chap.  "  We  could  blow  all  that  out  at  once  with 
the  giant-powder." 

"  And  the  people  all  over  the  county  would 
think,  the  next  morning,  that  it  had  been  raining 
mud  in  the  night,"  said  Phil. 

"  I  don't  care  what  they'd  think,"  said  Chap ; 
"  and  I'm  not  at  all  sure  about  the  treasure  being 
always  in  the  stern  ;  but  if  it  is  there,  and  we  could 
lower  down  a  big,  water-tight  cartridge  and  ex- 
plode it,  we  might  loosen  things  so  that  that  they 
would  float  up." 

"  Money  wouldn't  float,"  said  Phil. 

"  Do  you  know,  Phil  Berkeley,"  cried  Chap, 
"  that  if  I  had  a  tug-boat,  and  could  get  a  good 
hitch  on  to  the  sunken  part  of  that  ship,  I  believe 
I  could  pull  it  up  and  tow  it  into  shallow  water, 
where  we  could  get  at  it?" 

"  If  I  wanted  to  get  the  sunken  treasure,  if 
there  is  any,"  said  Phil,  "  I  wouldn't  like  to  have 
to  wait  until  that  time." 

"  Do  you  mean,"  said   Chap,  turning  sharply 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL        39 

upon  him,  "  that  you  think  I  am  never  going  to 
have  a  tug-boat  ?" 

"  Oh,  no  !"  said  Phil,  "  I  didn't  mean  that.  I 
only  meant  that  I  didn't  believe  you  could  move 
that  old  wreck,  or  anything  else  that  is  as  much  a 
part  of  this  continent  as  that  is  now." 
"  Oh !"  said  Chap  ;  "  that's  it,  is  it  ?" 
Then  the  two  boys  started  for  home,  each  carry- 
ing his  muskrat  by  the  tail. 


CHAPTER    V. 

THE    MASTER'S    GUN. 

The  next  morning  Philip  was  sitting  at  the 
breakfast-table  very  much  dissatisfied.  He  had 
had  a  poor  breakfast,  and  he  did  not  think  that 
this  should  be.  Susan  need  not  cook  as  much  as 
when  there  were  two  at  the  table,  but  certainly 
she  might  give  him  something  good  to  eat.  Even 
some  eggs  would  have  made  matters  different,  and 
he  had  seen  Jenny  bringing  in  a  lot  the  day  be- 
fore. He  would  have  a  talk  with  Susan  on  this 
subject,  but  first  there  were  other  things  to  be  at- 
tended to.     He  must  find  Old  Bruden. 

"  Jenny,"  he  said  to  the  young  girl  who  came 
in  to  clear  away  the  breakfast  things,  "do  you  know 
anything  about  Old  Bruden,  my  uncle's  double- 
barrelled  shot-gun  ?" 

Jenny  came  nearer  to  him,  and  said,  in  a  low 
voice, — 

40 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL       41 

"  If  you  wait  five  or  six  minutes  she'll  be  gone 
down  to  Joel's  house,  then  I've  got  something  to 
tell  you." 

Philip  walked  out  on  the  porch.  He  remem- 
bered that  Jenny  had  given  him  to  understand, 
the  evening  before,  that  she  had  some  sort  of  a 
mysterious  communication  to  make,  and  now  he 
supposed  it  was  coming.  He  did  not  fancy  such 
things  at  all.  His  own  disposition,  as  well  as  his 
uncle's  teaching  and  example,  made  him  averse  to 
having  controversies  or  confidences  with  servants. 
He  did  not  object  so  much  to  Jenny,  for,  although 
she  occupied  a  menial  position,  she  belonged  to 
a  very  respectable  family,  and  he  knew  that  his 
uncle  expected  her  to  go  to  school  the  next  winter 
at  Boontown. 

For  these  and  other  reasons  he  was  much  more 
willing  to  hear  Jenny's  story  than  to  scold  Susan 
about  the  breakfast,  or  to  ask  her  what  she  knew 
of  the  man  who  came  the  night  before.  It  was 
not  very  long  before  Jenny  came  out  on  the 
porch. 

"  Master  Phil,"  she  said,  "  do  you  know  that 
Susan  was  listening  to  all  you  said  to  the  man  last 
night?  And  when  he  went  away  she  slipped 
down  the  back  stairs  and  headed  him  off  at  the 
corner  of  the  house.  I  looked  out  of  our  window, 
and  I  heard  her  tell  him  that  the  young  boy  he'd 


42       THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

been  talking  to  had  made  a  mistake  when  he  said 
there  was  no  grown  person  in  the  house,  for  she 
was  there,  and  if  he  had  any  message  to  leave  for 
Mr.  Berkeley  he  might  leave  it  with  her.  The 
man  said  he  supposed  she  was  grown,  though  she 
wasn't  very  large ;  but  he  guessed  he'd  keep  his 
messages  and  deliver  them  himself.  And  then 
Susan  told  him  that  there  was  no  knowing  when 
Mr.  Berkeley  would  be  back,  and  that  she  knew  a 
great  deal  more  about  family  affairs  than  that  boy 
inside  did.  '  Very  well,'  said  the  man,  '  perhaps, 
when  I  come  again,  I'll  ask  for  you,  if  Mr.  Berke- 
ley isn't  here.  What's  your  name?'  And  then 
she  told  him  her  name,  and  he  went  away." 

"  You'd  make  a  good  reporter,"  said  Phil ;  "but 
I  don't  think  there  is  much  in  all  that.  It  isn't  a 
nice  thing,  Jenny,  to  be  listening  out  of  windows 
to  what  people  are  saying." 

"  That  mayn't  be  much,"  said  Jenny,  not  at  all 
disconcerted ;  "  but  I  can  tell  you  something  that 
is  much.     I  can  tell  you  where  Old  Bruden  is." 

Phil  suddenly  became  all  animation.  He  had 
already  ceased  to  care  about  the  man  with  the 
black  straw  hat,  but  the  whereabouts  of  Old  Bru- 
den was  quite  another  affair. 

"  Where  is  it  ?"  he  asked,  eagerly. 

"  It  is  up  in  our  room,  under  Susan's  bed,"  said 
Jenny. 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL       43 

"  How  in  the  world  did  it  get  there  ?"  asked 
Philip,  in  much  surprise. 

"  She  put  it  there  herself,  but  what  for  I  don't 
know." 

"  Go  right  up-stairs  and  get  it,"  said  Phil. 

And  away  ran  Jenny. 

She  soon  reappeared,  carefully  holding  the  gun 
out  before  her  with  both  hands. 

"  Which  end  of  it  is  loaded  ?"  she  said. 

"  Neither  end,  you  goose,"  replied  Philip. 
"  When  there  is  a  load  in  it,  it  is  about  the 
middle." 

"  I  don't  know  anything  about  guns,"  said 
Jenny.     "  I  meant  which  side  of  it  is  loaded  ?" 

"  There  isn't  any  load  in  it  now,"  said  Philip. 
"We  always  fire  off  the  guns  before  we  bring 
them  in." 

And  he  drew  out  the  ramrod  and  rattled  it 
down  one  of  the  barrels. 

"  Why,  there  is  a  load  in  it !"  he  cried ;  "al- 
though there  isn't  any  cap  on.  I'd  like  to  know 
what  this  means,  and  why  Susan  took  Old  Bruden, 
anyway.  Just  you  take  this  gun  and  carry  it  care- 
fully back  up-stairs  and  put  it  where  you  found  it. 
You  needn't  be  afraid  of  it,  for  it  can't  go  off;  it 
isn't  capped.  And  then  go  to  the  kitchen,  and  as 
soon  as  Susan  comes  in  tell  her  I  want  to  see  her." 

When  Susan  made  her  appearance  in  the  hall, 


44        THE   YOUNG   MASTER  OF   HYSON  HALL 

where  Philip  was  walking  up  and  down,  her  coun- 
tenance wore  a  very  stern  expression. 

"  Is  anything  the  matter  ?"  she  said,  shortly. 

"  Yes,  there  is  a  good  deal  the  matter."  said 
Philip.  "  In  the  first  place,  do  you  know  where 
my  uncle's  double-barrelled  gun  is  ?" 

To  this  question  Susan  made  no  immediate  an- 
swer, but,  with  a  cloth  she  held  in  her  hand,  she 
began  to  dust  the  hall  table. 

"  Haven't  you  seen  it?"  repeated  Philip. 

"  You've  got  a  gun  of  your  own,"  said  Susan, 
without  turning  around.     "  Isn't  that  enough  for 

you?" 

"  That  is  not  the  question.  I  want  to  know 
where  Old  Bruden  is." 

"  I  don't  believe  in  boys  having  double-barrelled 
guns,"  said  Susan,  "  or  any  guns  at  all,  for  that 
matter." 

"  It  makes  no  difference  to  me  what  you  believe 
or  what  you  don't  believe,"  said  Philip,  whose 
temper  was  gradually  getting  the  better  of  him. 

He  remembered,  however,  his  Uncle  Godfrey's 
frequently  repeated  precept,  that  a  gentleman 
never  quarrels  with  a  servant,  and  restrained  him- 
self. 

"  Susan,"  said  he,  "  you  know  very  well  where 
that  gun  is,  and  I  want  you  to  get  it  and  hang  it 
on  the  pegs  in  the  gun-room,  where  it  belongs." 


THE   YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL       45 

"  You  talk  as  if  you  were  the  master  of  every- 
body here,"  said  Susau. 

"  I  am  head  of  this  house  until  my  uncle  comes 
back,"  said  Philip,  "  and  I  want  you  to  under- 
stand it." 

"And  suppose  I  don't  choose  to  understand  it?" 
said  Susan. 

"  Then  I'll  get  somebody  who  will !"  retorted 
Philip,  quickly. 

The  idea  of  getting  any  one  to  fill  her  place 
seemed  so  absurd  to  Susan  that  she  could  not  help 
giving  a  little  laugh. 

"  Is  that  all  you  have  to  say  ?"  she  asked. 

"  That  is  all,"  said  Philip  ;  "  but  I  wish  you  to 
remember  it." 

Then  Susan  walked  off  to  the  kitchen.  Phil 
had  intended  to  speak  to  her  in  regard  to  the 
meals,  but  he  forgot  all  about  that. 

This  little  contest  was  now  over,  and  Philip  did 
not  know  whether  he  had  conquered  or  not.  He 
was  obliged  to  be  content  to  wait  and  see  what  the 
result  would  be,  and,  in  the  mean  time,  there  was  a 
good  deal  for  him  to  do. 

He  put  his  uncle's  letter  to  Mr.  Wei  ford  in  his 
pocket  and  went  down  to  the  stables. 

If  Joel  had  resisted  his  authority,  or  questioned 
his  orders,  it  is  likely  there  would  have  been  a 
serious  outbreak  of  temper ;  but  Joel  was  a  cau- 


46       THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

tious  man,  and,  although  he  was  a  good  deal  sur- 
prised when  Philip  requested  him  to  put  the  sad- 
dle and  bridle  on  Jouncer,  he  immediately. stopped 
the  work  he  was  doing  and  went  to  the  paddock. 
At  the  gate,  however,  he  stojiped. 

"  If  you'd  rather  have  your  own  horse,"  he  said, 
"  I  can  send  Dick  down  to  ketch  him." 

"  No,  I'd  rather  have  Jouncer  this  morning," 
said  Philip. 

And  Jouncer  was  saddled  and  bridled. 

Philip  had  been  gone  about  twenty  minutes, 
when  Susan  came  down  to  the  stable-yard. 

"  And  so  he's  gone  off  on  his  uncle's  horse," 
said  she.  "  He's  getting  high  and  mighty  !  He's 
just  been  ordering  me  to  take  that  gun  and  hang 
it  on  the  pegs  I  got  it  from  !" 

"  How  did  he  know  you  had  it  ?"  asked  Joel. 

"  He  asked  me  where  it  was,  and  as  I  didn't 
deny  it,  of  course  he  knew  I  had  it." 

"  Why  don't  you  put  it  back  ?"  said  Joel.  "  You 
don't  want  it." 

"  I  tell  you  what  it  is,  Joel  Burr  ess !"  said 
Susan ;  "  you  are  a  new-comer  here,  and  you  don't 
understand  things  as  I  do !" 

"  I've  been  here  two  years,"  said  Joel. 

"And  I  lived  here  eleven  years  with  old  Mr. 
Berkeley,  and  since  then  with  Mr.  Godfrey. 
Before  that  I  lived  five  or   six  years  with  old 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL       47 

Abrara  Bruden.  I  know  all  about  that  gun.  It 
used  to  bang  over  old  Abram's  kitchen  fireplace, 
and  nobody  ever  took  it  down  but  himself.  It  was 
always  called  the  Master's  gun,  and  if  any  of  his 
sons,  or  anybody  about  the  place,  wanted  to  shoot 
they  got  some  other  gun,  or  went  without.  But 
when  his  son  Charlie's  wife  came  there  to  be  head 
of  the  house,  and  wanted  a  big  yellow  cow  belong- 
ing to  Silas  Wingo,  old  Abram,  who  was  getting  a 
little  weak  in  his  mind  anyway,  and  who  hadn't 
much  money  just  then,  traded  off  the  gun  to  Silas 
for  the  cow.  Silas  Wingo  was  a  man  who  would 
always  a  great  deal  rather  shoot  than  milk.  Now, 
just  see  what  happened  !  In  a  precious  little  while 
after  that  gun  left  the  house  nobody  ever  thought 
of  old  Abram  as  being  the  master  there.  From 
that  time  till  the  day  of  his  death  he  hardly  ever 
had  a  word  to  say  about  his  own  affairs.  And  after 
a  while  Silas  got  hard  up,  and  brought  the  gun 
round  to  old  Mr.  Berkeley,  and  sold  it  to  him  for 
twice  as  much  as  it  was  worth,  I  dare  say.  It 
wasn't  long  after  that  before  Silas  was  sold  out  of 
house  and  home  ;  but  his  creditors  let  him  live  in  a 
little  house  on  his  own  farm,  where  he  had  been  a 
pretty  hard-headed  master.  Mr.  Berkeley  kept 
the  gun  as  long  as  he  lived,  and  was  always 
head  of  his  house,  I  can  tell  you.  And  so  is 
Mr.  Godfrey,  too." 


48       THE   YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

"  I  suppose  you  think,"  said  Joel,  "  that  if 
young  Phil  has  the  gun  he  will  be  the  real  master 
now." 

"  I  don't  want  no  boys  over  me,"  said  Susan, 
curtly. 

"  Havin'  the  gun  don't  make  any  difference," 
said  Joel.  "  All  the  things  you've  told  of  could 
'a'  happened  if  there'd  never  been  a  gun  in  the 
world." 

"  It's  no  use  talking  to  me  like  that,"  said  Susan. 
"  There's  something  in  these  things.  That  gun  is 
the  Master's  gun,  and  always  has  been." 

"  When  do  you  really  guess  the  head-master'll 
come  back  ?"  asked  Joel,  very  willing  to  change 
the  subject. 

"  I  don't  guess  anything  about  it,"  answered 
Susan. 

"  Perhaps  he's  gone  to  see  some  of  his  relations," 
remarked  Joel. 

"  He  hasn't  got  many  of  them,"  said  the  house- 
keeper. "  His  brother  is  dead,  and  this  boy  is  the 
only  child ;  and  old  Mr.  Berkeley  only  had  two 
sons  and  a  daughter ;  and  she  married  a  French- 
man, and  died  somewhere  out  West.  Godfrey 
was  the  youngest,  but  he  got  this  place ;  though, 
whether  the  old  man  ever  built  houses  for  the 
others  I  don't  know." 

Joel  laughed. 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL       49 

"  Then  he  hasn't  much  of  a  family  to  visit,  and 
perhaps  he'll  be  back  all  the  sooner." 

"  Humph  !"  said  Susan.  "  He's  gone  to  see  no 
relations." 

And  she  went  back  to  the  house. 


CHAPTER    VI. 


ARABIAN    BLOOD. 


Philip  made  up  his  mind  that  he  would  ride 
into  town  in  a  quiet  and  dignified  way.  To  be 
sure,  he  would  have  been  glad  to  find  out  what 
Jouncer  was  really  made  of,  and  whether  or  not, 
if  he  were  put  to  his  mettle,  he  would  show  any 
signs  of  that  Arabian  blood  which  some  of  the 
boys  believed  to  be  coursing  in  his  veins.  But  he 
would  do  nothing  of  this  kind  to-day.  He  was 
going  on  a  business  errand,  to  see  one  of  the  prin- 
cipal men  of  Boontown,  and  he  would  ride  his 
uncle's  horse  as  his  uncle  always  rode  him. 

But  Jouncer  had  not  jogged  along  on  the  turn- 
pike road  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  before  the 
sound  of  rapidly-approaching  wheels  was  heard 
behind  him. 

"  Hello,  Phil !"  cried  the  well-known  voice  of 

50 


THE  YOUNG   MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL        51 

Chap  Webster.  "  I  didn't  believe  it  at  first,  but 
it's  really  true.     Why,  you  are  on  Jouncer !" 

Phil  turned,  and  saw  behind  him  a  spring- 
wagon,  drawn  by  a  small  gray  horse,  and  driven 
by  a  short  and  very  stout  boy,  by  whose  side  sat 
Chap  Webster. 

"  Hello,  Phoenix  !"  said  Phil.  "  Where  are  you 
going  ? 

"  I  am  going  to  town  after  father,"  said  the  stout 
boy. 

This  youth's  name  was  Phineas  Poole,  but  his 
boy  friends  called  him  Phoenix,  and  by  that  name 
he  was  generally  known. 

"But  what  are  you  doing  on  Jouncer?"  cried 
Chap. 

"  Well,"  said  Phil,  with  an  air  as  if  the  matter 
was  of  slight  importance,  "  I  thought  I'd  ride  him 
into  town  to-day.  He  ought  to  be  exercised,  you 
know." 

"  Well,  why  don't  you  exercise  him  ?"  said 
Chap,  very  earnestly.  "  If  I  was  on  his  back  I 
wouldn't  be  crawlin'  along  like  that.  If  you  ever 
want  to  find  out  whether  he  has  got  Arabian 
blood  in  him  or  not,  now's  your  chance." 

"  What  would  you  do  ?"  asked  Phil. 

"  Do  !"  cried  Chap.  "  Why,  I'd  put  him  across 
that  ditch,  and  over  that  fence,  and  I'd  clip  it  in  a 
bee-line  straight  across  the  fields  to  town  !" 


52       THE  YOUNG   MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

"  Clip  both  your  legs  off,"  said  Phil,  "  and  break 
his  neck !  I'm  not  going  to  make  such  a  fool  of 
myself  the  first  day  I  ride  my  uncle's  horse." 

"  Upon  my  word !"  said  Chap,  in  a  desponding 
voice ;  then  addressing  himself  to  Phoenix,  he  said, 
"  I  do  believe  that  Phil  Berkeley  is  nothing  but  a 
humdrumist,  after  all !  And  to  think  of  his  op- 
portunities !  Come,  Phoenix,  touch  up  Selim,  and 
let's  get  along  to  town.  It  will  be  time  enough  to 
go  at  this  rate  when  we  take  to  riding  cows." 

Selim  was  a  resolute  little  horse,  who,  when  he 
was  touched  up,  generally  did  his  best,  and  so,  the 
moment  he  felt  the  whip,  he  put  his  head  down  as 
low  as  he  could  get  it,  and  began  to  work  his 
sturdy  legs  with  as  much  rapidity  as  if  a  heavy 
head  of  steam  had  just  been  let  on  to  the  engine 
which  moved  his  machinery,  and  the  spring- 
wagon  passed  rapidly  by  Jouncer  and  went  rat- 
tling ahead. 

Now,  Phil  was  a  boy  of  spirit,  and  did  not  like 
this  treatment  at  all.  Without  a  moment's  hesita- 
tion he  jammed  his  heels  into  Jouncer's  sides  and 
urged  him  forward.  Jouncer,  too,  was  a  horse  of 
spirit,  and  never  fancied  being  passed  on  the  road, 
often  giving  his  master  considerable  trouble  on 
such  occasions,  and  it  is  likely,  therefore,  even  if 
he  had  not  felt  Philip's  heels,  that  he  would  have 
made  haste  to  overtake   that  spring-wagon,  and 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL       53 

now,  having  a  double  motive,  lie  struck  into  a 
gallop,  and  soon  caught  up  with  the  vehicle. 

"  Hi !"  shouted  Chap,  in  great  excitement,  turn- 
ing around,  and  half  standing  up  as  he  spoke ; 
"  don't  let  him  pass  us  !  Whip  up  Selim  !  That 
Jouncer  can't  beat  us  into  town !  Good-by, 
Phil !" 

When  Selim  felt  the  whip  again — and  it  came 
down  a  good  deal  harder  this  time — he  put  on  more 
steam,  and  as  he  had  been  trotting  as  fast  as  he  could 
before,  he  now  began  to  run.  After  him  came 
Jouncer,  clattering  furiously  on  the  hard  turnpike. 

"  It  is  ridiculous,"  thought  Phil,  "  for  a  little 
horse  like  that,  with  a  wagon  and  two  boys  behind 
him,  to  keep  ahead  of  Jouncer  and  me,"  and  with 
his  heels  and  a  little  riding-cane  he  carried,  he 
began  to  urge  his  horse  to  greater  speed. 

Jouncer's  blood,  whatever  kind  it  was,  now  be- 
gan to  boil,  and  he  soon  needed  no  urging.  Turn- 
ing a  little  to  the  left,  he  galloped  so  vigorously 
that  it  seemed  that  he  must  quickly  pass  the 
wagon.  But  Selim  was  a  stanch  little  horse,  and 
could  run  at  a  high  speed, — for  a  short  distance, 
at  any  rate, — and  the  wagon  behind  him  seemed 
to  be  a  matter  he  did  not  consider  at  all.  He 
clattered  bravely  on,  and  still  kept  the  lead,  Chap 
shouting  wildly,  and  Phoenix  bringing  down  the 
whip  every  now  and  then  with  a  resolute  whang. 


54       THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

A  loaded  hay-wagon  was  now  seen  ahead,  and 
it  was  with  some  difficulty  that  the  stout  Phoenix 
turned  his  horse  so  as  to  pass  on  one  side  without 
a  collision. 

Jouncer  passed  on  the  other  side,  and  when  the 
rider  and  the  drivers  came  in  sight  of  each  other 
again,  Jouncer  was  ahead,  and  after  that  he  kept 
the  lead,  galloping  as  madly  as  if  he  were  carry- 
ing the  news  to  Aix. 

The  boys  in  the  wagon,  for  a  short  time,  pushed 
on  after  him  at  their  best  speed,  but  soon  per- 
ceiving that  they  could  not  catch  up  with  Jouncer, 
and  that  they  were  beaten  in  the  race,  they  pulled 
up  their  panting  and  dripping  little  horse,  and  let 
him  walk  the  rest  of  the  way  to  town. 

Philip,  as  soon  as  he  saw  that  he  had  won  in  the 
trial  of  sjDeed,  began  to  pull  up  Jouncer,  but  he 
did  no  more  than  begin,  for  he  found  the  under- 
taking too  much  for  him.  Arabian  blood  seemed 
to  give  a  hardness  to  the  jaw,  a  stiffness  to  the 
neck,  and  a  power  of  leaping  and  bounding  to  the 
body  of  a  horse  which  he  had  never  dreamed  of. 
He  could  not  sto}}  Jouncer  at  all,  and  so  went 
dashing  along  the  turnpike  until  he  thundered 
wildly  into  the  main  street  of  the  town,  which,  as 
it  was  market-day,  was  pretty  well  thronged  with 
vehicles  and  people. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


WHAT    JOUNCER    PUT    HIS    FOOT    INTO. 


Jouncer's  hoofs  made  such  a  clatter  on  the 
hard  pavements  of  the  main  street  of  Boontown 
that  the  people  had  time  to  scatter  to  the  right 
and  left,  while  the  horse  guided  himself  clear  of 
the  wagons  and  buggies. 

Philip  had  no  power  to  stop  or  to  turn  him. 
All  he  could  do  was  to  stick  on,  which  he  did 
right  well. 

Everybody  saw  that  it  was  a  runaway.  The 
boys  shouted,  and  some  of  the  women  screamed, 
and  one  negro  man  ran  out  into  the  street  to  stop 
the  horse,  but  his  courage  failed  him  as  Jouncer 
approached,  and  he  let  him  pass. 

The  wildly  galloping  horse  had  passed  more 
than  half  through  the  town,  when  a  man  who 
was  about  to  cross  the  street  suddenly  heard  or 
saw  the  rapidly  approaching  animal,  and  gave  a 

65 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL        57 

Philip  made  the  horse  lift  his  foot,  and  he 
pulled  off  the  hat.     Then  he  exclaimed, — 

"I've  seen  this  hat  before,  and  I  am  sure  I 
never  saw  but  one  of  the  kind.  I  remember  now. 
It  belonged  to  the  man  who  came  to  see  uncle  last 
night.     I  hope  I  haven't  hurt  him,  whoever  he  is." 

Much  troubled  in  his  mind,  Philip  took  the  hat 
in  one  hand  and  Jouncer's  bridle  in  the  other, 
and  led  the  horse  slowly  back  to  town.  He  would 
have  first  rubbed  him  down,  but  he  had  nothing 
to  do  it  with. 

Not  caring,  after  his  John  Gilpin  ride,  to  re- 
enter the  main  thoroughfare  of  the  town,  he  went 
along  a  side  street  until  he  reached  a  shady  spot, 
not  very  far  from  Mr.  Welford's  office. 

Jouncer  was  beginning  to  dry  off  by  this  time, 
and,  having  tied  him  to  a  tree,  Philip  walked  up 
the  main  street.  He  first  went  to  the  store  where 
his  uncle  generally  bought  groceries  and  other 
supplies,  and  going  up  to  Mr.  McNeal, — one  of 
the  partners,  with  whom  he  was  acquainted, — he 
asked  him  if  he  had  heard  that  anybody  had  been 
hurt  by  a  runaway  horse  a  short  time  before. 

Mr.  McNeal  had  not  heard  of  any  accident  of 
the  kind,  and  rather  guessed  if  anything  of  that 
sort  had  occurred  he  would  have  known  of  it,  for 
people  had  been  coming  to  the  store  pretty  steadily 
all  the  morning. 


58        THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

Philip  then  told  him  about  the  runaway  and 
the  man  who  had  tumbled  down,  and  concluded 
by  asking  him  if  he  might  leave  that  hat  there  to 
be  called  for. 

"  Very  well,"  said  Mr.  McNeal,  taking  the  hat. 
"  I'll  hang  it  up  in  a  safe  place  ;  but  it  strikes  me 
that  the  owner  of  this  had  better  buy  a  new  one." 

"  It  isn't  hurt  much,"  said  Phil.  "  I  looked  at 
it  carefully.  The  top  of  the  crown  can  easily  be 
sewed  on,  and  it  is  pretty  fine  straw,  you  see." 

"  Yes,"  said  the  other,  "  it  has  been  a  good  hat, 
but  I  don't  think  I  ever  saw  another  like  it, 
though  I've  sold  a  good  many  hats  myself.  After 
all,  if  the  man  who  wore  it  likes  this  kind  of  hat, 
I  guess  he'll  want  this  one  back  again,  for  he's  not 
apt  to  get  another  like  it — at  least,  in  this  town. 
It  must  belong  to  a  stranger,  for  nobody  here 
wears  such  a  thing." 

The  hat  was  then  put  away,  and  Philip,  having 
borrowed  half  a  sheet  of  paper,  wrote  thereon  a 
notice  to  the  effect  that  any  one  having  lost  a  black 
straw  hat  might  get  it  by  applying  at  the  store  of 
Henderson  &  McNeal,  and  describing  the  article. 

He  then  went  round  to  the  post-office,  near  by,  and 
stuck  up  this  notice  by  the  side  of  the  main  door,  in 
company  with  a  great  many  other  notices  of  cows 
and  horses  for  sale,  articles  lost,  and  matters  of  that 
nature.     After  this  he  went  to  see  Mr.  Welford. 


THE   YOUNG   MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL       59 

The  banker  was  a  quiet,  middle-aged  man,  who 
knew  Philip  very  well,  the  boy  having  frequently 
visited  his  office  to  attend  to  business  for  his  uncle. 
He  read  Mr.  Godfrey  Berkeley's  note. 

"  It  is  very  strange,"  he  remarked, — "  very 
strange !  Didn't  he  tell  you  when  he  was  coming 
back?" 

"  No,  sir,"  answered  Philip  ;  "  but  I  thought  he 
might  have  said  something  about  it  in  your  note." 

"  Not  a  word,"  said  Mr.  Welford.  "  And  I  am 
very  sorry,  indeed,  that  I  did  not  know  that  he 
was  going  away  at  this  time.  It  might  have  pre- 
vented a  good  deal  of  trouble.  But  there  is  nothing 
to  be  done  now  but  to  carry  out  his  instructions. 
You  can  draw  the  money  you  need  in  the  manner 
he  mentions  here,  and,  of  course,  you  will  be  as 
economical  as  you  can  in  your  expenditures.  I 
hope  he  won't  be  gone  very  long ;  but,  in  the 
mean  time,  we  must  get  on  the  best  we  can." 

He  looked  at  Philip  a  moment,  and  then  he 
said, — 

"  You  are  a  young  fellow  to  have  charge  of  a 
house  and  farm,  though  I  suppose  your  uncle  knew 
what  he  was  about.     How  did  you  come  to  town  ?" 

This  question  was  asked  as  a  sort  of  finishing 
remark  to  the  conversation,  and  the  banker  picked 
up  some  papers  which  lay  on  his  desk. 

"  I  rode  in,"  said  Philip,  "  on  uncle's  horse." 


60       THE  YOUNG   MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

Mr.  Welford  turned  suddenly,  as  if  the  thought 
had  just  struck  him. 

"  Was  that  you,"  he  said,  "  who  went  tearing 
up  the  street  a  while  ago  ?" 

"  Yes,  sir,"  said  Philip.  "  The  horse  ran  away 
with  me." 

"  I  thought  your  uncle's  horse  was  a  very  gentle 
beast  ?     At  least  he  always  seemed  so  to  me." 

"  He  is  gentle,  as  a  general  thing,"  said  Philip ; 
"  but  the  fact  is,  I  had  a  little  race  on  the  road, 
and  that  got  his  blood  up." 

"  Oh  !"  said  Mr.  Welford. 

And  then  Philip  took  his  leave. 

"  I  am  sorry  he's  that  kind  of  boy,"  said  the 
banker  to  himself,  as  he  took  up  his  papers  again. 
"  I  hope  Godfrey  Berkeley  will  not  stay  away 
long." 

As  Philip  went  to  get  his  horse  he  found  a  man 
holding  him  by  the  bridle. 

"  Do  you  know,"  said  the  man,  "  that  there's  a 
fine  of  five  dollars  for  tying  a  horse  to  a  tree  in 
this  town  ?" 

Philip's  heart  went  right  down  into  his  boots. 

"  No,  sir,"  he  said  ;  "  I  didn't  know  it  at  all." 

"  Well,  there  is,"  said  the  other  ;  "  and,  as  I  had 
to  wait  for  a  customer  who's  going  to  meet  me  here, 
I  untied  the  horse  and  held  him.  I  thought  I 
might  save  somebody  five  dollars,  before  a  town 


THE   YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL        61 

constable  came  along.  There's  only  two  of  them, 
to  be  sure,  but  they're  as  likely  to  be  in  one  place 
as  another." 

Phil's  heart  came  out  of  his  boots  with  a  bound. 

"  I'm  very  much  obliged  to  you,  sir,"  he  said. 
"  I  didn't  know  anything  about  that  law." 

The  man  was  a  tall  and  rather  coarsely  dressed 
person,  wearing  a  linen  coat  and  high  boots,  into 
which  his  trousers  were  thrust. 

As  Phil  looked  up  at  him,  he  saw  that  he  had  a 
very  pleasant  and  kindly  countenance. 

"  You've  ridden  your  horse  pretty  hard,"  said 
the  man.  "  He  looks  as  if  you  had  been  salting 
him  down.    Did  you  come  in  town  for  a  doctor?" 

"  No,"  said  Phil. 

And  then  he  explained  how  Jouncer  had  hap- 
pened to  travel  so  fast. 

"  If  you  want  to  race  a  horse,"  said  the  other, — 
"  that  is,  if  you  do  such  things  at  all, — you  ought 
to  wait  for  cooler  weather.  It  is  pretty  hard  on  a 
beast  to  make  him  run  on  a  day  like  this." 

"  But  I  didn't  make  him  do  much  of  it,"  said 
Phil.  "  He  did  almost  all  the  hard  running  on 
his  own  account." 

"  I  tell  you  what  it  is,"  said  the  man,  with  a 
smile,  "  when  a  horse  has  a  human  bein'  on  his 
back,  nearly  all  the  brains  of  that  party  is  to  be 
found  under  the  rider's  hat ;  and  if  them  brains 


62       THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL 

ain't  put  to  good  use  there's  always  a  pretty  fair 
chance  of  trouble." 

Phil  agreed  that  this  was  so,  and,  mounting 
Jouncer,  he  bade  the  man  good-by  and  rode  home- 
ward. 

When  about  half  a  mile  out  of  town  he  overtook 
a  boy  walking  in  a  foot-path  by  the  side  of  the 
turnpike. 

"  Hello,  Phoenix  !"  cried  Phil ;  "  what  are  you 
doing  here  ?" 

"  Going  home,"  said  Phoenix. 

"  But  why  are  you  walking  ?"  asked  Phil,  as  he 
rode  slowly  by  the  side  of  his  sturdy  friend. 

"  Well,"  said  Phoenix,  "  the  old  man  was  awful 
mad  when  he  saw  Selim.  Chap  and  I  did  think 
of  driving  the  horse  into  the  river,  so  that  he'd  get 
wet  even  all  over ;  but  then  there  wasn't  any  good 
reason  for  giving  him  a  wash,  and  Chap  and  I 
thought  it  might  hurt  him  to  drive  him  in  when 
he  was  so  hot." 

"It  would  have  killed  him,  sure!"  exclaimed 
Phil. 

"  That's  what  Chap  and  I  thought,"  said  Phoenix, 
"  and  we  didn't  do  it." 

"  So  your  father  was  mad,  was  he  ?"  said  Phil. 

"  Mad  is  no  word  for  it,"  replied  his  friend. 
"  He  just  blazed ;  and  when  he  got  through  he 
told  me  that,  as  I  had  had  such  an  extra  good 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL        63 

time  riding  into  town,  I  might  walk  home.  Chap 
wanted  to  walk  with  me,  but  he  wouldn't  let  him. 
But  I  tell  you  one  thing,  I'd  a  great  sight  rather 
walk  home  than  ride  with  the  old  man  to-day." 

"  I'll  take  you  up  behind  me,"  said  Phil,  "  if 
you  say  so.    I  don't  believe  Jouncer  will  mind  it." 

"  Much  obliged,"  said  Phoenix,  taking  off  his 
hat  and  wiping  the  perspiration  from  his  heated 
forehead,  "  but  I  guess  I  won't.  I  rather  like 
walking,  especially  on  a  fine  day  like  this." 

"A  blazing  fine  day,"  said  Phil,  laughing; 
"  but  if  I  can't  do  anything  for  you  I'll  push  on, 
or  I'll  be  late  for  dinner." 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

CHAP    ENTERS    THE    FOG. 

That  afternoon  Phil  went  up  into  the  gun- 
room to  see  if  Susan  had  obeyed  his  orders  in  re- 
gard to  putting  Old  Bruden  back  into  its  proper 
place,  but  the  gun  was  not  there. 

He  was  a  good  deal  annoyed  at  this,  for  he  did 
not  want  to  have  any  further  dispute  with  the  house- 
keeper ;  but  he  comforted  himself  by  thinking  that 
perhaps  she  had  not  yet  been  up-stairs,  and  that 
she  would  replace  the  gun  that  night  when  she 
went  to  her  room. 

But  the  next  morning,  when  he  visited  the  gun- 
room, Old  Bruden  was  not  to  be  seen. 

Things  now  looked  very  gloomy  to  our  young 
friend.  He  did  not  like  quarrelling,  and  hard 
words,  whether  given  or  taken,  were  equally  un- 
pleasant to  him ;  and  yet  he  plainly  saw  that  if 
his  authority  was  to  be  worth  anything  that  he 

64 


THE  YOUNG   MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL       65 

must  have  a  conflict  with  the  housekeeper,  which 
would  be  pretty  sure  to  be  a  tough  one. 

He  had  already  suggested  an  improvement  in 
his  meals,  which  had  been  received  by  Susan  in  a 
very  contemptuous  way. 

While  he  was  trying  to  make  up  his  mind  as  to 
what  course  he  would  take  to  bring  the  house- 
keeper to  a  proper  sense  of  his  position,  he  saw 
Chap  Webster  coming  up  to  the  house.  It  was 
evident  from  his  friend's  countenance  that  he  had 
a  plan  on  his  mind. 

"Hello,  Phil!"  cried  Chap,  "I'll  tell  you  a 
splendid  thing  for  this  afternoon.  We'll  take  our 
guns  and  go  over  to  the  Green  Swamp.  We  are 
pretty  sure  to  get  a  shot  at  something, — big  black- 
snakes,  perhaps,  and  I  want  one  to  stuff, — and  then 
we  may  find  the  lonely  sumach." 

Among  the  boy-beliefs  of  that  neighborhood 
was  one  that  in  or  about  the  centre  of  the  Green 
Swamp  there  stood  a  large  and  poisonous  sumach- 
tree,  which,  like  the  direful  upas  of  Java,  dealt 
out  death  to  all  who  ventured  beneath  its  shade. 

Next  to  owning  a  tug-boat  and  blowing  up  the 
old  wreck,  Chap's  dearest  desire  was  to  find  this 
tree.  Not  that  he  wished  to  venture  beneath  its 
shade,  but  he  wished  to  see  it,  and  to  go  just 
under  its  outer  twigs,  so  that  if  he  began  to  feel 
sick  or  faint,   he  would  be  pretty  sure  that   he 

5 


QQ        THE  YOUNG   MASTER   OF  HYSON   HALL 

would  die  should  lie  go  all  the  way  under,  and 
that  this  was  actually  a  poisonous  sumach-tree, 
just  as  good  as  a  real  upas. 

"  Chap,"  said  Phil,  "  you  are  always  going  in 
for  something  watery.  I  believe  that  in  a  former 
state  of  existence  you  were  a  stork." 

"  That  may  be,"  said  Chap  ;  "  and  I'm  a  pretty 
long-legged  bird  yet.  But  what  do  you  say  to  the 
swamp  ?  I  expect  it  has  dried  up  a  good  deal  this 
hot  weather,  and  if  we  are  careful  in  stepping 
from  one  hummock  of  grass  to  another,  perhaps 
we  won't  get  into  the  mud  and  water.  But  you 
must  carry  Old  Bruden  this  time,  for  we  may  have 
to  take  two  or  three  shots  at  a  blacksnake,  and 
long  shots,  too." 

Phil  had  begun  to  cheer  up  under  the  influence 
of  Chap's  animation,  but  his  spirits  now  fell  again. 
He  was  silent  for  a  moment,  and  then  he  said, — 

"  Chap,  let's  go  down  under  the  old  chestnut- 
tree  and  have  a  talk.  I  want  to  tell  you  some- 
thing." 

He  had  resolved  to  take  his  friend  into  his  con- 
fidence. This  sort  of  thing  was  too  much  for  one 
boy  to  bear  alone. 

"  Any  time  in  pleasant  weather,  till  the  burrs 
begin  to  stiffen,  I  don't  mind  sitting  under  a 
chestnut-tree,"  said  Chap,  as  he  took  his  seat  be- 
side Phil,  beneath  the  great  tree  at  the  bottom  of 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL        67 

the  lawn,  "  but  after  that  I  prefer  some  other  kind 
of  shade.     Now,  what  have  you  got  to  tell  ?" 

Thereupon  Phil  related  the  facts  of  Susan's  in- 
subordination and  the  various  other  out-of-way 
events  that  had  happened  lately. 

"  It  is  just  what  I  told  you,  Phil,"  said  Chap. 
"  You  are  in  a  regular  cloud.  But  now  that  you 
have  let  me  into  the  fog,  we  will  go  to  work  and 
scatter  it  like  a  hurricane.  I  tell  you  it  is  a  regu- 
lar rebellion  that's  rising  up  here,  and  it's  got  to 
be  crushed  out  in  the  bud !" 

"  Nipped,  you  mean,"  Philip  suggested. 

"  Nipped,  frozen,  squashed  !  anything,  so  that 
we  get  our  iron  heel  on  it !  I  go  in  for  throttling 
her,  and  holding  her  head  under  water  until  she 
blubbers !" 

"  Who  ?     Susan  ?"  asked  Phil. 

"  Well,  not  exactly  Susan,"  said  Chap,  "  but 
the  whole  spirit  of  rebellion.  I'd  begin  with  the 
housekeeper.  She  should  be  reduced  to  submis- 
sion or  crumbled  into  ashes.  And  as  for  Joel,  if 
he  cuts  up  rough  when  you  want  Jouncer  again, 
as  you  say  you  think  he  may,  I'd  come  down  on 
him  like  a  clap  of  thunder  at  the  very  first  sign 
of  mutiny.  And  the  man  who  came  here  on  a 
secret  mission,  I'd  settle  him.  I'd  ride  into  town 
and  get  his  hat  if  he  hasn't  called  for  it  yet,  and 
I'd  put  up  a  notice  that  he  must  come  here,  to  this 


68       THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

house,  for  his  hat ;  and  when  he  came  I'd  make 
make  him  divulge  his  reasons  for  wearing  such  a 
hat,  and  tell  where  he  got  it ;  and  he  should  never 
cross  that  threshold  till  he  laid  bare  the  object 
of  his  midnight  visit." 

"  It  wasn't  midnight,"  said  Phil. 

"  Well,  then,  whatever  time  of  night  it  was. 
And  I'll  tell  you  another  thing.  I  don't  alto- 
gether like  the  way  Mr.  Welford  acted.  From 
what  you  say,  I  don't  think  he  came  up  to  the 
mark  as  lively  as  he  should  have  done.  I'd  keep 
my  eye  on  him,  too." 

"  You  wouldn't  do  anything  to  Mr.  Hamlin 
who  lives  beyond  the  meadows,  would  you  ?"  said 
Phil. 

"  Why,  no !"  exclaimed  Chap,  looking  around 
in  surprise.     "  What  has  he  got  to  do  with  it  ?" 

"  Oh,  nothing,"  said  Phil.  "  I  only  supposed 
you  might  think  it  mean  to  leave  him  out  of  the 
general  vengeance.  But  I  tell  you,  Chap,  you're 
too  lofty  and  tremendous,  with  your  thunder-claps 
and  your  iron  heel.  These  people  don't  need  any- 
thing like  that." 

"  Don't  you  believe  a  word  of  it !"  exclaimed 
Chap.  "  It  isn't  the  big,  savage  hen-hawks  that 
give  the  most  trouble  and  are  hard  to  get  rid  of. 
It's  the  potato-bugs.  That's  where  your  iron  heel 
comes  in.     If  you  don't  scrunch  this  thing  in  the 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL        69 

egg  it  will  get  ahead  of  you.  You  may  just  rest 
certain  of  that." 

"  Well,  let's  scrunch,"  said  Phil.  "  How  would 
you  begin  ?" 

"  I  can't  say  just  exactly  what  I'd  do  first," 
answered  Chap ;  "  but  suppose  we  divide  things. 
I'll  take  Susan  and  you  take  Joel,  and  then  I'll 
take  the  man  with  the  black  straw  hat,  and  you 
can  have  Mr.  Welford." 

"  You  are  choosing  the  heavy  end  of  the  load," 
said  Phil. 

"  That  suits  me,"  said  Chap.  "  I  like  to  give  a 
good  lift  when  I  get  well  under  a  thing  with  some 
heft  in  it." 

Phil  did  not  fancy  the  idea  of  his  friend  under- 
taking to  reduce  Susan  to  proper  submission ;  but, 
as  Chap  seemed  fairly  aching  for  the  job,  and  as 
he  had  been  such  a  frequent  visitor  to  the  house, 
and,  being  a  very  social  boy,  was  really  more  in- 
timate with  Susan  than  Philip  himself  was,  the 
latter  finally  consented  that  Chap's  arrangements 
should  be  carried  out. 

"  But  don't  come  down  too  heavy  at  first,"  said 
Phil.  "  I  don't  want  her  annihilated — only  re- 
formed." 

"  All  right !"  said  Chap.  "  I'll  start  in  as  mild 
as  a  pot  of  bonny-clabber." 

"  Chap,"  cried  Phil,  as  a  happy  idea  struck  him, 


70       THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL 

"  you  come  here  and  stay  for  a  few  days.  Your 
folks  will  let  you,  I  know." 

"  Boy,"  cried  Chap,  springing  to  his  feet,  "  you 
are  beginning  to  show  signs  of  life !  I'll  go  and 
ask  them." 

And  away  he  went,  like  a  pair  of  compasses 
going  mad. 

It  was  not  thought  strange  in  the  Webster 
family  that  Philip  Berkeley,  being  left  alone  in 
the  great  house  where  he  lived,  should  want  one 
of  his  boy  friends  to  stay  with  him  for  a  time 
during  his  uncle's  absence ;  and,  as  Chap  was  not 
particularly  needed  at  home,  permission  was  given 
him  to  go  and  visit  Philip  for  a  few  days. 

The  strictest  injunctions,  however,  were  laid 
upon  him  to  behave  himself  in  as  quiet  and 
orderly  a  way  as  if  Mr.  Godfrey  Berkeley  were 
at  home. 

"  Orderly  ?"  said  Chap  to  himself,  as  he  put  a 
few  clothes  into  a  very  large  valise.  "  I  should 
think  so !  Why,  I'm  going  there  to  establish 
order !" 


CHAPTER    IX. 


CHAP  S    IRON    HEEL. 


When  Chap  entered  Hyson  Hall  that  after- 
noon, with  his  big  valise,  he  met  the  housekeeper 
at  the  door. 

"  How  do  you  do,  Susan  ?"  he  said,  with  his 
most  radiant  expression  of  countenance. 

Susan  nodded  as  she  looked,  in  surprise,  at  the 
valise. 

"  What  have  you  got  in  that?"  she  asked. 

"  My  dress  suit,"  said  Chap,  blandly ;  "  or, 
at  least,  it  mostly  holds  the  suit  I  dress  in  at 
night.  I've  come  to  stay  with  you  for  a  while, 
Susan,"  he  added,  with  as  sweet  a  smile  as  he 
could  call  up. 

"  Stay  awhile  !"  she  exclaimed. 

"  Yes,"  said  Chap.  "  Poor  Phil  is  so  lonely  ! 
My  folks  were  glad  enough  to  let  me  come." 

"  I  should  think  so,"  cried  Susan,  getting  very 

71 


72        THE  YOUNG   MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL 

dark  in  the  face ;  "  and  do  tliey  suppose  I'm  going 
to  cook  and  slave  for  two  boys  ?" 

"  Oh,  you  needn't  slave  at  all,  Susan !"  said 
Chap,  almost  tenderly.  "  All  you  have  to  do  is  to 
cook  a  little  more  than  twice  as  much  as  you  do 
for  Phil,  and  I'm  content." 

"  Did  he  ask  you  to  come  ?  That  Philip  ?"  said 
Susan. 

"  Oh,  yes,  indeed !"  said  Chap.  "  You  don't 
suppose  that  I'd  go  about  visiting  houses,  for  a 
week  at  a  time,  without  being  asked  ?  And  now, 
which  is  to  be  my  room?  I  can  carry  my  bag- 
gage up  there  myself." 

"  You  can  sleep  where  you  choose,"  said  Susan, 
"  in  the  cellar,  the  parlor,  or  the  top  of  the  house. 
This  goes  ahead  of  anything  yet !" 

And  off  she  marched. 

Phil  was  not  in  the  house  when  Chap  arrived ; 
but  when  he  came  in,  and  his  visitor  told  him  of 
his  interview  with  the  housekeeper,  he  laughed 
heartily. 

"  Why,  Chap,"  he  said,  "  you  did  begin  mild, 
sure  enough.  I  didn't  think  you  could  be  as 
dulcet  as  that." 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  Chap,  "  that  is  the  way  to  do  it. 
I  pulled  on  my  heaviest  woollen  sock  over  my 
iron  heel.  But  the  heel  is  there,  my  boy, — it's 
there." 


THE   YOUNG   MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL        73 

"  Not  a  very  original  simile,"  remarked  Phil. 

"  It'll  do  for  the  country,"  said  Chap,  "  and  a 
velvet  glove  is  very  different  from  a  woollen  sock, 
if  you  happen  to  have  cold  feet." 

Chap  easily  gave  up  the  expedition  to  the  cedar 
swamp  that  day,  as  it  was  agreed  that  the  black- 
snakes  and  the  lonely  sumach  would  probably  wait 
until  })roper  possession  of  Old  Bruden  could  be  re- 
gained, and  the  rest  of  the  day  was  chiefly  spent 
in  laying  out  plans  for  future  operations. 

Susan  took  no  steps  to  prepare  a  sleeping  apart- 
ment for  the  visitor,  but  she  gave  the  boys  a  very 
good  supper,  for,  despite  her  anger,  she  did  not 
want  Chap  Webster  to  go  home  and  tell  his  family 
that  she  did  not  know  how  to  keep  house. 

By  Phil's  directions,  however,  Jenny  prepared 
a  room  for  Chap,  and  the  next  morning  operations 
were  begun  to  put  down  all  rebellion,  actual  or 
expected. 

Phil  did  not  forget,  however,  that  he  had  the 
business  of  the  house  and  farm  to  attend  to,  and 
to  this  he  resolved  each  day  to  give  the  first  place. 
After  breakfast,  therefore,  he  informed  Chap  that 
he  intended  to  ride  over  to  a  neighbor's  farm  to 
see  about  some  oats  which  had  been  bought  before 
his  uncle's  departure,  but  which  had  not  yet  been 
delivered. 

"  You  can  come  along,  if  you  like,"  said  Phil. 


74        THE   YOUNG  MASTER  OF   HYSON   HALL 

"  Kit  lias  been  turned  out  to  grass,  but  I  can  have 
him  caught." 

"That  means  you  are  going  to  ride  Jouncer?" 
said  Chap. 

"  Yes,  I  intend  to  ride  him,"  Phil  replied. 

"Good  boy!"  cried  Chap.  "You'll  kill  two 
birds  with  one  stone.  You'll  see  about  the  oats, 
and  you'll  have  a  chance  to  open  fire  on  Joel,  if 
he  shows  symptoms  of  revolt.  As  for  me,  I  don't 
think  I'll  go  with  you.  I'd  rather  stay  home  and 
see  if  I  can't  get  Old  Bruden.  I  have  your  lord- 
ship's permission  to  do  that,  haven't  I  ?  I  couldn't 
go  ahead,  you  know,  without  authority." 

"All  right,"  said  Phil,  "provided  Susan  de- 
livers it  up  in  a  proper  manner.  That  is  the 
point,  you  know, — she  is  to  give  it  up.  I  don't 
want  to  get  the  gun  in  any  underhanded  way." 

"  Exactly,"  said  Chap.  "  The  laying  down  of 
the  sword,  or  rather  the  hanging  up  of  the  gun,  is 
what  we  are  aiming  at.  You  need  not  be  afraid 
of  me.  I  go  in  for  high-handed — high-minded,  I 
mean — warfare. ' ' 

Phil  laughed,  and,  telling  Chap  to  keep  a  sharp 
lookout  on  his  own  defences,  left  him  alone  with 
his  warlike  ideas. 

Joel  had  been  pretty  gram  and  cross  when 
Philip  returned  from  his  ride  to  town  the  day  be- 
fore, saying  repeatedly  that  the  horse  had  never 


THE   YOUNG   MASTER   OF  HYSON   HALL        75 

been  used  in  that  way  since  Mr.  Berkeley  bought 
him.  Phil  explained  how  the  thing  had  hap- 
pened, but  this  did  not  make  it  appear  in  any 
better  light  in  Joel's  eyes.  Phil  left  him  currying 
the  horse  and  growling  steadily. 

Our  young  friend,  therefore,  was  not  surprised 
this  morning  when  he  told  Joel  that  he  wanted  to 
ride  Jouncer  over  to  the  Trumbull  Farm,  to  see  a 
dark  cloud  spread  over  that  individual's  counte- 
nance. 

"  You  don't  want  to  take  that  horse  out  again, 
do  you?"  he  asked,  sharply. 

"  Yes,"  said  Philip,  "  I  intend  to  take  him  out 
again.  He  ought  to  be  used,  and  I  don't  propose 
to  let  him  run  away  with  me  this  time." 

"  He'll  do  it,  if  he's  a  mind  to,"  said  Joel. 

"  No,  he  won't,"  replied  Phil.  "  I  know  him 
better  now,  and  I  won't  let  him  get  a  start  on  me, 
as  he  did  yesterday.  Uncle  left  especial  directions 
that  I  was  to  take  good  care  of  Jouncer,  and  one 
way  to  take  care  of  him  is  to  ride  him  and  not  let 
him  get  fat  and  lazy." 

"  No  danger  of  his  gettin'  fat,"  said  Joel,  "  with 
your  style  of  ridin'." 

"  Joel,"  said  Phil,  his  face  flushing  a  little,  "  I 
don't  want  to  talk  any  more  about  this.  I  am 
going  to  ride  Jouncer  this  morning,  and  if  you 
don't  choose  to  saddle  him  I'll  do  it  myself." 


7G        THE   YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL 

"  Oil,  you're  master,"  said  Joel,  "  and  if  you  say 
so  the  thing  has  got  to  be  done,  I  s'pose ;  and  if 
the  horse  is  rode  to  death,  that's  your  lookout ;  but 
I  guess  I'm  responsible  for  the  saddlin'  and  bridlin' 
and  feedin',  ain't  I  ?" 

"  Certainly,"  said  Phil. 

"  Then  I'll  attend  to  them  things  myself,"  re- 
marked Joel,  as  he  went  into  the  stable. 

As  Philip  rode  away  on  Jouncer,  he  could  not 
make  up  his  mind  about  Joel.  It  was  true,  he  had 
done  what  he  was  told  to  do  this  time,  but  whether  or 
not  he  would  continue  to  obey  was  a  matter  of  doubt. 

But,  having  been  successful  in  his  first  skirmish, 
Philip  concluded  to  be  satisfied  for  the  present. 
Joel  was  not  much  of  a  person,  after  all. 

"  Susan,"  said  Chap,  about  fifteen  minutes  after 
Philip  had  ridden  away,  "  Phil  said  I  might  have 
Old  Bruden  while  he  was  gone.  I've  been  up  to 
the  gun-room,  but  it  isn't  there.  Do  you  know 
where  it  is  ?" 

"  Didn't  he  tell  you  where  it  was  ?"  asked  Susan, 
turning  around  and  facing  him  squarely. 

"I  know  that  he  hoped  it  was  on  its  pegs,"  said 
Chap. 

"  Hoped  !"  exclaimed  Susan,  derisively.  "  He 
may  as  well  give  up  hoping,  as  far  as  that  gun  is 
concerned.  He  knows,  and  you  know,  too,  that 
I've  got  it,  and  I  intend  to  keep  it." 


THE   YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL       77 

"  Susan,"  said  Chap,  a  gentle  smile  spreading 
over  his  face  like  honey  over  a  buckwheat  cake, 
"  don't  you  think  you  have  kept  up  this  little  joke 
about  long  enough  ?" 

"  Little  joke  !"  repeated  Susan,  her  eyes  flashing 
as  she  spoke.  "  That  boy  will  find  out  before  I 
am  done  that  there  is  no  joke  about  it ;  and  I'll 
have  his  elders  know,  too,  that  I  haven't  been  in 
this  family  for  fourteen  years  to  be  ruled  over  now 
by  a  boy." 

"  Phil  has  been  in  the  family  longer  than  that," 
said  Chap  ;  "  he  is  fifteen." 

"Stuff!"  said  Susan,  not  seeing  any  point  in 
this  remark.  "  If  Mr.  Berkeley  had  had  time  to 
think  about  things  before  he  went  away,  he'd  'a'  left 
me  in  charge  of  the  house.  I  know  he  intended 
me  to  have  charge  of  it,  and  he  ought  to  have  said 
so." 

"  But,  Susan,"  said  Chap,  "  all  that  hasn't  any- 
thing to  do  with  the  gun.  You  surely  haven't 
any  use  for  that." 

"  I've  a  particular  use  for  it,"  said  Susan. 

And  off  she  walked,  as  she  was  in  the  habit  of 
doing  when  she  had  said  what  she  had  to  say,  no 
matter  whether  the  person  she  was  talking  to  had 
finished  or  not. 

"  I  must  pull  off  the  woollen  sock,"  said  Chap 
to  himself.     "  Soft  stepping  won't  do  with  her." 


78        THE  YOUNG   MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL 

A  short  time  after  this  he  went  down  into  the 
back-yard,  where  Susan  was  sitting  under  a  tree, 
stringing  beans. 

"  Susan,"  said  he,  sitting  down  on  the  grass  not 
far  from  her,  "  do  you  know  Mary  Gurley  ?  She's 
a  good  cook,  isn't  she  ?" 

"  She  can  cook,"  said  Susan.  "  All  decent 
women  can  cook." 

"  I  mean,"  said  Chap,  "  can  she  make  good  pies 
and  ginger-snaps  and  roly-poly  puddings,  and  all 
that  sort  of  thing  ?" 

"  You  mean,  can  she  cook  for  a  boy,"  said 
Susan.  "  Do  you  want  her  ?  I  expect  she  can 
cook  well  enough  for  you." 

"  Then  she  is  a  mighty  good  cook,"  said  Chap. 
"  And  do  you  think  she  could  run  a  small  girl  like 
Jenny  ?" 

"What  do  you  mean?"  asked  Susan,  putting 
down  her  beans  and  looking  steadfastly  at  Chap. 

"  I  mean,"  said  Chap,  in  his  blandest  tones, 
"  that  in  a  day  or  two  Phil  is  likely  to  need  a  new 
cook  and  housekeeper,  and  I  think  he'll  want  one 
rather  given  to  pies.  I've  heard  a  good  deal  about 
Mary  Gurley,  and  I  thought  I'd  like  your  opinion 
of  her  before  I  recommend  her  to  Phil." 

"  You  impudent,  outrageous  boy  !"  cried  Susan, 
starting  to  her  feet  and  letting  her  pan  and  beans 
fall  together  to  the  ground.     "  Do  you  mean  that 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL        79 

Philip  Berkeley  is  thinking  of  discharging  me  and 
getting  some  one  in  my  place  ?" 

"Oh,  yes,  Susan,"  said,  Chap,  cheerfully.  "  Phil 
has  been  made  master  of  this  house,  and  if  you 
don't  obey  him  he'll  have  to  bounce  you.  You 
can  see  that  for  yourself." 

"  Well,  just  tell  him  this,"  said  the  angry  house- 
keeper, "  if  you're  to  be  his  messenger,  that  when 
he  pays  me  the  two  years'  wages  that's  due  me  he 
can  talk  about  discharging  me,  and  not  before." 

"  Oh,  of  course,"  said  Chaj),  as  he  sauntered 
away,  "  he'll  square  up  before  he  tells  you  to 
march." 

"  I  got  a  good  point  on  her,"  said  Chap,  while 
giving  an  account  of  his  morning's  work  to  Phil, 
"  when  she  admitted  that  in  one  way  she  could  be 
discharged.  But  she  threw  up  pretty  heavy  earth- 
works Avhen  she  told  about  that  two  years'  wages. 
It  must  amount  to  a  lot  of  cash.  I  wonder  how  it 
came  to  run  on  so  long  ?" 

Phil  was  furious  when  he  heard  what  Susan  had 
said.  He  paid  no  attention  to  Chap's  remarks, 
but  marched  into  the  dining-room,  where  the 
housekeeper  was  getting  the  table  ready  for 
dinner. 

"  Susan,"  he  said,  "  if  you  don't  put  that  gun 
back  into  its  place,  and  obey  me  in  other  things, 
just  as  you  would  my  uncle,  I'll  make  you  leave 


80        THE   YOUNG   MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL 

this  house,  and  I'll  go  in  town  and  get  the  money 
from  Mr.  Welford  to  pay  you  everything  that  is 
owing  to  you." 

Susan  was  too  enraged  to  answer.  She  merely 
sniffed,  stiffened  her  back,  and  went  on  with  her 
work. 

"Do  you  feel  refreshed?"  said  Chap,  when  Phil 
returned  to  the  porch.  "  I  heard  what  you  said, 
but  don't  you  think  it  was  something  like  a  breach 
of  contract?" 

"  Can't  help  it,"  said  Phil.  "  She's  got  to  knock 
under  or  go." 

"  Now,  look  here,"  said  his  friend.  "  You've 
bared  your  blade,  and  that's  all  right ;  but  just 
hold  your  heavy  hand  for  a  while,  and  let  me  hurl 
another  javelin.     You'll  do  that,  won't  you?" 

"  All  right,"  said  Phil.  "  I'll  wait  a  couple  of 
days." 

"  Phil,"  said  Chap,  that  evening,  after  supper, 
"  will  you  lend  me  one  of  these  canes  in  the  rack  ?" 

"  They  are  all  uncle's  canes,"  said  Phil,  who  was 
reading  by  the  lamp  which  stood  on  the  hall  table ; 
"  but  he'd  lend  you  one,  of  course.  What  are  you 
going  to  do  with  it?" 

"  Oh,  I'm  just  going  to  take  a  little  walk,"  said 
Chap,  selecting  the  heaviest  and  knottiest  stick  in 
the  rack.  "  I'm  tired  of  the  kind  of  strategic  war- 
fare I've  been  carrying  on  to-day,  and  I'd  like  to 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL       81 

change  to  something  straight  out  and  simple.  Per- 
haps the  man  with  the  black  straw  hat  may  be 
coming  to-night  on  one  of  his  nocturnal  prowls ; 
and  if  he  does,  I'd  like  to  meet  him  by  moonlight 
alone." 

"  You  needn't  expect  him,"  said  Phil,  laughing. 
"  Everybody  knows  now  that  uncle  isn't  at  home." 

It  so  happened  that  the  man  with  the  black 
straw  hat  was  walking  that  evening  towards  Hyson 
Hall. 

He  had  seen  the  notice  at  the  post-office,  had 
gone  to  Mr.  McNeal's  store,  and  had  recovered  his 
hat.  He  had  asked  who  brought  it  there,  and 
when  told  it  was  Phil  he  made  up  his  mind  that 
perhaps  that  boy  was  old  enough  to  talk  to ;  and, 
as  no  one  knew  when  Mr.  Berkeley  would  be  at 
home,  he  might  as  well  go  and  have  a  little  con- 
versation with  his  nephew. 


CHAPTER    X. 


IN    WHICH    A    STORY    IS    TOLD. 


The  moon  had  risen  quite  high  by  the  time  the 
man  with  the  black  straw  hat  had  entered  the 
grounds  of  Hyson  Hall,  but  the  roadway  near 
the  house  was  overshadowed  by  large  trees,  making 
the  light  very  dim  and  uncertain. 

As  the  man  walked  up  this  dusky  avenue,  he 
was  revolving  in  his  mind  various  ways  of  opening 
his  intended  interview  with  Phil.  He  did  not  care 
to  explain  his  business  to  a  boy,  and  in  fact  it  was 
only  with  Mr.  Godfrey  Berkeley  that  he  could 
take  any  decisive  steps  in  the  matter,  but  he 
thought  it  was  of  no  use  for  him  to  stay  any  longer 
in  that  part  of  the  country,  unless  he  could  find 
out  something  in  regard  to  the  business  on  which 
he  came. 

He  had  heard  that  Phil  was  a  very  sensible, 
straightforward  fellow,  who  frequently  did  business 

82 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL        83 

for  his  uncle.  Such  a  boy  could  certainly  give  him 
some  points  which  would  be  of  service  in  the  future. 

The  revolutions  in  the  man's  mind,  as  well  as 
his  onward  progress,  were  suddenly  arrested  by  the 
appearance  of  a  tall  person,  who  stepped  out  from 
behind  a  tree,  and  who,  holding  a  large  stick  in 
front  of  him  in  his  right  hand,  cried,  peremp- 
torily,— 

"  Halt  I" 

The  man  halted  as  promptly  as  if  he  had  run 
against  a  fence. 

Chap  stood  squarely  up  before  him,  his  legs 
spread  out  a  little,  and  his  knotty  stick  resting 
carelessly  on  his  left  arm. 

"  Well,"  said  he,  "  here  you  are  again." 

When  Chap  spoke,  the  man  knew  him  to  be  a 
boy,  and  supposed  him  to  be  Phil,  of  whom  he 
had  not  taken  any  particular  notice  on  the  evening 
he  saw  him. 

"  Yes,"  he  answered,  "  I  am  here  again.  How 
are  you  to-night  ?" 

"  Now,  look  here  !"  said  Chap.  "  I  rather  sus- 
pected you'd  be  along  again,  and  I  came  out  to 
have  a  word  with  you.  I  want  you  to  understand 
one  thing.  This  is  a  free  and  open  country,  and 
when  a  man  has  anything  to  say  he  ought  to  come 
out  boldly  and  say  it  in  broad  daylight,  and  not 
glide  in  under  cover  of  the  night." 


84       THE  YOUNG   MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

The  man  was  about  to  speak  here,  but  Chap  did 
not  allow  himself  to  be  interrupted,  and  went  on, — 

"  As  I  said  before,  this  is  a  free  country,  and  if 
a  person  has  anything  to  say,  he  has  a  right  to  be 
heard.  Now,  have  you  anything  to  say  ?  If  so,  I 
am  ready  to  hear  it.  There's  no  need  of  any  mys- 
tery, or  darkness,  or  unusual  clothes.  All  you 
have  to  do  is  to  stand  right  up  and  speak  out." 

The  man  did  not  like  Chap's  manner  at  all,  but 
he  was  a  prudent  person,  and  had  taken  a  long 
walk  in  order  to  get  some  information  that  might 
be  of  advantage  to  him,  so  he  resolved  not  to  get 
angry,  and  answered,  very  politely, — 

"  Yes,  there  are  some  things  I'd  like  to  speak  to 
you  about." 

"All  right,"  said  Chap;  "just  step  with  me  a 
little  farther  down  the  road,  so  as  to  be  out  of  ear- 
shot of  the  house,  and  then  you  can  unload  your 
mind." 

"  That  suits  me,"  said  the  man,  with  a  smile, 
"  but  it  does  not  agree  with  what  you  just  now 
said  about  having  everything  free  and  ojDen,  you 
know." 

"  Oh,  what  I  meant,"  said  Chap,  "  was  that  a 
person  should  be  free  and  open  to  the  one  he  is 
talking  to.  There  is  no  use  shouting  private  affairs 
into  servants'  ears,  and  having  them  tooted  all  over 
the  country  through  a  horn." 


THE  YOUNG   MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL       85 

The  man  smiled,  but  made  no  answer.  He  fol- 
lowed his  companion  down  the  roadway,  thinking 
that  this  Philip  Berkeley  was  certainly  a  very 
curious  fellow. 

Pausing  at  a  wooden  bench,  between  two  trees, 
Chap  remarked, — 

"  We  can  sit  down  here,  and  if  you  notice  any 
listeners,  just  you  give  a  low  whistle,  and  I'll 
pounce  on  them  with  this  club.  I'll  keep  a  look- 
out, too.  Now  you  can  begin  to  unveil  your  secret 
mission.  My  friend  Phil  has  commissioned  me  to 
attend  to  you  and  find  out  the  meaning  of  your 
nocturnal  errands  to  this  place." 

"  You  don't  mean  to  say,"  said  the  man,  in  sur- 
prise, "  that  you  are  not  young  Philip  Berkeley  ?" 

"  I  mean  to  say  that  very  thing,"  replied  Chap. 
"  But  you  can  tell  your  secret  just  as  freely  to  me 
as  to  him.  I  am  Chapman  Webster,  his  particu- 
lar friend.  He's  pretty  heavily  loaded  down  with 
responsibilities  and  bothers  just  now,  and  I'm 
taking  part  of  them  off  his  shoulders." 

"  And  I  suppose  my  affairs  fall  to  your  share," 
said  the  man. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Chap,  "  we  divided  things  up, 
and  I  took  you.  I  have  the  greatest  fancy  for 
working  out  hidden  clues,  and  all  that  sort  of 
thing.  It's  something  connected  with  the  Berke- 
ley family  you  came  about,  isn't  it  ?" 


86        THE  YOUNG   MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL 

"  Yes,"  said  the  other,  "  it  is." 

"  Well,  then,"  said  Chap,  "just  begin  at  the 
very  beginning  of  your  story,  and  tell  it  straight 
through ;  and  don't  leave  out  any  of  the  points. 
I'm  just  the  fellow  to  help  you  straighten  out 
things,  if  you've  got  them  a  little  crooked." 

The  man  reflected  a  few  moments.  He  had 
nothing  on  earth  to  say  to  Chap  Webster ;  and  yet 
he  thought  this  boy  might  be  as  able  to  answer 
the  few  questions  he  wished  to  put  as  Philip 
Berkeley  would  be,  and  it  was  likely  that  he 
would  be  much  more  willing  to  do  so.  But  Chap 
had  evidently  prepared  himself  for  some  business 
of  thrilling  interest,  and  it  would  not  do  to  put 
him  off  with  a  few  apparently  unimportant  re- 
marks. 

The  man  took  off  his  black  straw  hat,  looked  at 
it,  then  put  it  on  again.     Then  he  began : 

"  About  the  close  of  the  war  of  1812 " 

"  By  Jupiter  !"  cried  Chap.  "  Was  it  about  a 
ship?" 

"  Yes,"  said  the  other,  "  it  was  a  ship." 

"  You  don't  mean  this  river  ?"  asked  Chap,  get- 
ting very  much  excited. 

"  Yes,  I  do,"  said  the  man,  "  this  very  river. 
Perhaps  you  know  the  story  yourself?" 

"  No,  I  don't,"  said  the  boy.  "  At  least,  only 
part  of  it.     All  I  know  is  that  a  British  ship  was 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL        87 

chased  up  this  river,  and  ran  aground  right  down 
there  on  this  bank ;  and  that  all  the  people  on 
board  got  ashore,  and  scattered,  nobody  knows 
where ;  and  that  there's  a  lot  of  treasure  on  board 
of  her, — at  least,  there's  every  reason  to  believe 
there  is, — and  that  nobody  has  ever  come  to  claim 
it  or  dig  it  up." 

"  Yes,  that  is  the  very  ship,"  said  the  man. 
"  I  see  vou  are  pretty  good  in  following  out  a 
clue." 

"  I've  practised  it,"  said  Chap,  with  much  satis- 
faction. "  There's  nothing  like  practice  in  these 
things." 

"  But  perhaps  you  did  not  know,"  said  the 
other,  "  that  there  were  three  brothers  on  board." 

"  No,  I  did  not  know  that,"  said  Chap. 

"  Well,  there  were,"  continued  the  man.  "  They 
came  over  from  England  to  found  a  family.  You 
know  that  each  of  our  distinguished  families  were 
founded  by  three  brothers,  who  came  over  from 
England." 

"  Yes,"  said  Chap,  "  I've  heard  that ;  but  they 
generally  came  over  sooner, — in  the  last  century, 
anyway." 

"  Yes,"  said  his  companion,  "  but  these  three 
brothers  couldn't  come  any  sooner.  They  weren't 
born  early  enough,  for  one  thing,  and  there  were 
other  reasons  for  delay.     But  they  came  as  soon 


88       THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

as  they  could,  and  they  brought  with  them  all  the 
wealth  they  possessed." 

"And  did  they  scuttle  out  of  that  ship  and 
leave  it  there  ?"  cried  Chap. 

"  You  must  have  heard  this  story  before,"  said 
the  man. 

"  Never,"  replied  Chap.  "  But  now  tell  me  one 
thing.  Was  one  of  these  brothers  the  ancestor  of 
this  Berkeley  family  ?" 

"  Certainly  he  was  ;  and  not  very  far  removed, 
either." 

"  Why,  just  think  of  it !"  cried  Chap.  "  That 
treasure,  or  part  of  it,  which  we  have  been  talking 
about  so  much,  actually  belongs  to  the  Berkeleys. 
Why,  I  sometimes  used  to  think  that  if  we  got  it 
out,  the  British  crown  or  our  government  might 
claim  it.  But  here  it  is  really  the  property  of 
Phil  and  his  uncle.  This  is  the  most  splendid 
thing  I  ever  heard  of!  And  isn't  it  strange,  too, 
that  the  shij}  should  have  run  ashore  on  the  very 
land  the  Berkeleys  were  afterwards  to  own  ?" 

"  Perhaps,"  said  the  man,  in  a  half-whisper, 
"  the  land  was  bought  because  the  ship  was  known 
to  be  there." 

"  Look  here,"  cried  Chap,  springing  to  his  feet, 
"  if  you  can  get  some  dynamite  and  an  electric 
battery,  I'll  go  into  this  thing  with  you,  and  we'll 
get  that  money.    We  won't  wait  for  anybody  else. 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL       89 

Phil  doesn't  warm  up  a  bit  about  it, — though  I 
don't  mind  his  coming  in  if  he'll  take  hold  lively, 
— and  there's  no  knowing  when  his  uncle  is 
coming  back.  I  don't  want  anything  but  the  fun 
for  my  share,  but  I  know  the  family  will  be  will- 
ing to  pay  you  well  for  your  secret." 

The  man  smiled. 

"  We  must  not  be  too  hasty,"  he  said.  "  I  shall 
be  willing  to  do  nothing  in  this  matter  without  the 
co-operation  of  the  family." 

"  You  mean  you  want  to  wait  till  Mr.  Godfrey 
Berkeley  comes  back  ?"  said  Chap. 

"  Yes,  I  mean  that,"  replied  the  other.  "  You 
are  acquainted  with  Mr.  Berkeley,  I  suppose  ?" 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  Chap,  "  I  know  him  very  well. 
He's  a  tip-top  fellow."  • 

"  He  is  of  a  free  and  generous  disposition,  isn't 
he  ?"  asked  the  man. 

"  Yes,  indeed !"  replied  Chap ;  "  our  folks  say 
too  much  so." 

*'  He  must  possess  a  handsome  property,"  said 
the  other. 

"  I  expect  he's  as  rich  as  blazes,"  replied  Chap. 
"  At  any  rate,  he  buys  everything  he  wants." 

"  And  yet  I  suppose  he'd  like  to  make  more 
money,"  said  the  man. 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  Chap  ;  "  I  know  he's  all  the 
time  trying  to  make  more  money  with  improved 


90       THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

stock  and  lots  of  other  things  which  a  good  many 
people  laugh  at.  And  I  can  tell  you  this,  if  he 
knew  there  was  treasure  belonging  to  him  in  that 
old  wreck,  he'd  just  spend  any  amount  of  money 
to  get  it  out." 

"  Now,  then,  Mr.  Webster,"  said  the  man,  rising, 
"  we  know  each  other.  Do  not  reveal  what  I  have 
told  you,  and  when  the  proper  moment  arrives, 
count  on  me.  In  the  mean  time,  I  have  one  thing 
to  ask  of  you.  As  soon  as  Mr.  Berkeley  arrives, 
let  me  know  of  it.  Here  is  a  postal-card  with  my 
name  and  address  on  it.  All  you  have  to  do  is  to 
write  on  the  other  side  the  words,  '  He  has  come,' 
and  then  mail  it.     Will  you  do  this  ?" 

"  Certainly  I  will,"  said  Chap,  putting  the  card 
in  his  pocket. 

"  Now  we  understand  each  other  perfectly  ?" 
said  the  man  with  the  black  straw  hat,  extending 
his  hand. 

"  Perfectly,"  said  Chap,  giving  the  hand  a  vig- 
orous shake. 

"  Now  good-by  for  the  present !"  said  the 
other. 

And  he  walked  rapidly  away. 


CHAPTER    XL 


PHILIP    IS    BROUGHT    TO    A    HALT. 


Chap's  bosom  was  now  filled  with  a  tremendous 
secret.  Phil  and  the  other  fellows  might  laugh  as 
much  as  they  pleased  when  he  talked  about  the 
treasure  on  the  sunken  vessel. 

Now,  he  knew  something  about  it,  and  could 
afford  to  let  them  sneer.  The  man  with  the  black 
straw  hat  would  probably  depart  from  Boontown 
as  soon  as  possible,  and  then  he,  Chap,  would  be 
the  only  person  in  that  part  of  the  country  who 
had  any  positive  knowledge  on  the  subject  of  the 
wreck. 

He  would  have  been  glad  to  tell  Phil  all  that 
he  had  heard,  but  his  promise  to  the  man — which, 
perhaps,  he  had  made  without  proper  considera- 
tion— prevented  this. 

He  found  Phil  asleep  when  he  went  into  the 
house,  and,  as  his  friend  asked  him  no  questions 

91 


92       THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

in  regard  to  his  walk,  Chap  did  not  consider  it 
necessary  to  say  anything  about  it ;  and  Phil  went 
to  bed  without  knowing  that  the  man  with  the 
black  straw  hat  had  been  there  at  all. 

Chap  lay  awake  for  some  time,  thinking  about 
his  exciting  interview  and  trying  to  make  up  his 
mind  as  to  the  extent  and  meaning  of  his  promise 
to  the  man  ;  and  he  finally  concluded  that,  while 
he  could  not  tell  Philip,  nor  any  one  else,  about 
the  three  brothers  and  the  Berkeley  claim  to  the 
sunken  treasure,  he  had  promised  nothing  that 
would  prevent  his  going  to  work  as  soon  as  possi- 
ble to  look  for  the  submerged  gold. 

This  was  the  thing  he  had  intended  to  do  all 
along,  before  he  knew  that  there  existed  a  man 
with  a  black  straw  hat.  Of  course,  the  recovered 
property  could  not  be  divided,  and  things  could 
not  be  definitely  settled  before  Mr.  Berkeley  came 
back  ;  but  there  was  nothing  to  prevent  Phil  and 
himself  from  making  a  beginning  in  the  good 
work. 

If  they  could  only  get  out  a  few  boxes  of  silver 
coin,  that  would  help  wonderfully  in  carrying  out 
the  rest  of  the  enterprise.  He  went  to  sleep,  so  to 
speak,  with  his  mind  full  of  exploding  cartridges 
and  flying  mud. 

The  next  day  Phil  rode  into  town  to  see  Mr. 
Welford  again.      He  did  not  know  what  means 


THE  YOUNG   MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL       93 

Chap  was  going  to  take  in  order  to  bring  Susan 
to  terms,  but  lie  had  no  faith  whatever  in  his 
friend's  success,  and  determined  that  he  must 
make  arrangements  to  pay  the  housekeeper  her 
wages  and  discharge  her,  in  case  she  continued 
to  rebel  against  his  authority. 

He  had  looked  over  his  uncle's  books,  and  had 
found  that  two  years'  wages  were  really  due  to 
Susan.  She  had  probably  wished  Mr.  Berkeley 
to  act  as  her  banker,  and  keep  her  money  for  her. 

Phil  rode  to  town  on  Jouncer,  Joel  making  no 
objection  this  time,  for  the  horse  had  been  brought 
back  in  excellent  condition  from  the  trip  to  Trum- 
bull's. 

But,  although  the  day  was  a  pleasant  one,  and 
the  horse  went  well,  Phil  did  not  enjoy  his  ride. 
He  did  not  at  all  fancy  the  idea  of  his  uncle's 
coming  home  and  finding  his  old  servant  dis- 
charged. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  teachings  of  Godfrey 
Berkeley  had  made  Phil  feel  that  his  uncle  would 
think  very  ill  of  him  if  he  allowed  himself  to  be 
set  at  defiance  and  treated  with  contempt  by  a  ser- 
vant who  owed  him  obedience  and  respect.  The 
thing  had  to  be  done,  but  Phil  hated  to  do  it. 

Mr.  Welford  was  surprised  and  angry  when  he 
heard  Phil's  errand. 

"  Three  hundred  dollars  !"  he  exclaimed.    "  Cer- 


94       THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

tainly  there  is  not  that  much  owing  to  the  house- 
keeper !  And  discharge  her !  Why,  you  must 
be  crazy !  How  can  you  think  of  doing  such 
things  in  your  uncle's  absence  ?" 

Phil  then  explained,  at  full,  his  provocations. 
Mr.  Welford  listened  sternly. 

"  I  don't  know  what  you  have  been  doing,"  he 
said,  "  to  make  her  act  in  that  way.  I  have  always 
heard  of  her  as  a  very  faithful  servant,  not  only 
to  your  uncle,  but  to  your  grandfather." 

A  thought  passed  through  Mr.  Welford's  mind, 
but  as  he  looked  at  Phil's  clear  eye  and  honest 
countenance  he  refrained  from  expressing  it. 
Three  hundred  dollars  to  pay  a  servant  seemed 
an  absurdity,  but  what  else  could  the  boy  want 
with  the  money  ? 

"  There  is  no  use  talking  any  more  about  it," 
said  Mr.  Welford.  "  I  can  furnish  you  with  no 
such  sum  as  that.  I  have  now  in  my  hands  very 
little  money  belonging  to  your  uncle.  By  his  di- 
rections, I  paid,  a  few  days  ago,  a  large  sum  on  his 
account,  and  I  certainly  expected  to  have  seen  him 
before  this  time  in  regard  to  that  and  other  matters. 
As  it  is,  I  not  only  have  not  three  hundred  dollars 
belonging  to  him,  but  his  balance  here  is  very 
small,  scarcely  enough,  I  imagine,  to  keep  you  and 
Hyson  Hall  going  for  a  couple  of  weeks  longer. 
I  have  no  doubt,  however,  that  your  uncle  will  be 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL        95 

back  before  that  time  expires.  I  advise  you  now 
to  go  home,  and  get  along  with  the  housekeeper  as 
well  as  you  can.  If  you  are  pleasant  to  her,  per- 
haps she  will  be  pleasant  to  you.  And  don't  try 
to  do  any  great  deeds  in  your  uncle's  absence.  I 
see  you  are  not  afraid  to  bring  your  horse  round 
to  the  front  this  time,"  he  said,  with  a  grim  smile, 
as  Phil  opened  the  door. 

If  Mr.  Welford  had  been  a  boy,  there  would 
have  been  a  fight,  then  and  there ;  but  he  was  an 
elderly,  respectable  gentleman,  and  Phil  answered 
him  not  a  word.  He  merely  bowed,  mounted  his 
horse  and  rode  away,  the  most  rueful  boy  in  all 
that  county. 

The  next  day  was  Sunday,  and  Phil  and  Chap 
walked  over  to  the  Webster  farm,  and  went  to 
church  with  the  family.  The  boys  returned  there 
to  dinner,  but  Phil  insisted  that  Chap  should  go 
home  with  him  in  the  afternoon  and  continue  his 
visit,  for  he  declared  that  Hyson  Hall  was  too  dole- 
ful a  place  for  him  to  live  in  alone. 

Helen,  Chap's  sister,  somewhat  younger,  and  a 
great  deal  better  looking  than  he,  privately  told 
her  brother  that  she  thought  that  Phil  must  find 
the  management  of  affairs  at  Hyson  Hall  a  dread- 
ful worry,  for  she  never  saw  him  look  so  blue  and 
moping. 

"  You're   right,   my  girl,"   said  Chap.      "  The 


96       THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

domestic  horizon  over  there  is  pretty  cloudy,  and 
there's  what  the  papers  would  call  a  crisis  impend- 
ing ;  but  I'm  Phil's  prime  minister,  and  it's  my 
opinion  that  the  government  party  will  be  found 
firmly  established  when  the  crisis  is  over." 

"  Now,  Chap,"  said  Helen,  taking  her  brother 
by  the  hand,  "  don't  you  go  and  lead  Phil  into 
any  wild  tantrums." 

"  Tantrums !"  exclaimed  Chap,  impatiently. 
"  I'd  like  to  know  why  people  always  think  about 
tantrums  and  such  things  when  they  talk  to  me. 
I've  got  nothing  to  do  with  tantrums.  Why, 
Helen,  I'm  helping  Phil  to  carry  out  one  of  the 
most  important  pieces  of  work  that  anybody  ever 
undertook  in  this  part  of  the  country." 

"  But,  Chap,"  said  Helen,  "  that  is  just  the  kind 
of  thing  I  am  afraid  of." 

"  Now,  Helen,"  said  Chap,  "  if  I  could  tell  you 
all  about  these  affairs — which  I  can't  do,  of  course, 
without  Phil's  permission — you'd  see  that  I  know 
what  I'm  about,  and  that  I'm  trying  to  do  at  least 
two  most  excellent  things.  You  mustn't  talk,  my 
dear  sister,  about  matters  you  don't  understand." 

Then  Chap  kissed  his  sister,  and  hurried  on  to 
join  Phil,  who  had  started  for  home. 

The  previous  day,  while  Phil  was  away,  Chap 
had  been  down  to  the  river,  and  had  made  as  care- 
ful an  examination  as  was  possible,  under  the  cir- 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL        97 

cumstances,  of  the  position  of  the  portion  of  the 
wreck  which  he  could  see, — which,  at  that  time, 
happened  to  be  very  little, — and  from  this  he  en- 
deavored to  get  an  idea  of  the  probable  position 
of  that  part  of  the  vessel  which  he  couldn't  see  at 
all. 

He  had  pretty  well  satisfied  himself  in  regard 
to  the  matter ;  and,  on  Monday  morning,  as  he 
sat  with  Phil  on  the  porch,  after  breakfast,  he  laid 
before  his  friend  a  plan  he  had  mentally  worked 
out  for  the  recovery  of  the  treasure. 

"  You  see,  Phil,"  he  said,  "  there's  no  use  fool- 
ing any  more.  The  gold  is  there,  and  we  ought 
to  get  it.  From  what  you  told  me  Mr.  Welford 
said,  I  should  think  a  little  cash  would  be  a  pretty 
handy  thing  just  now ;  though,  of  course,  the 
great  bulk  of  it  should  be  kept  in  the  bank  vaults 
until  your  uncle  comes  back." 

Phil  listened  with  a  dull  sort  of  interest.  He 
had  been  wondering  if  Chap  had  entirely  given 
up  the  endeavor  to  bring  Susan  to  terms.  The 
time  he  had  allowed  him  had  elapsed ;  but  his 
lively  friend  was  so  engrossed  with  the  wrecking 
business  that  he  appeared  to  have  forgotten  all 
about  his  proposed  domestic  diplomacy. 

Phil  was  sorry  to  see  this,  and  intended  to  say 
something  on  the  subject,  for  he  felt,  with  a  good 
deal  of  wounded  pride,  that  it  was  now  impossible 


98       THE   YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

for  him  to  carry  out  his  declared  determination  to 
discharge  Susan. 

He  was  about  to  change  the  subject  from  wrecks 
to  housekeepers,  when  a  carriage  came  slowly 
driving  up  the  shaded  road  towards  the  house. 

The  boys  immediately  recognized  the  vehicle  as 
one  of  the  old  rattle-trap  concerns  belonging  to 
the  livery  stable  in  the  town. 


CHAPTEK   XII. 


EMILE    TOUKON. 


The  carriage  which  was  approaching  came 
slowly,  although  the  driver,  a  negro  boy,  continu- 
ally belabored  his  horse  with  a  short  whip,  en- 
deavoring, besides,  by  a  vigorous  clicking  and 
jerking  of  the  reins,  to  make  him  go  faster ;  but 
the  horse  had  evidently  made  up  his  mind  that 
in  regard  to  this  sort  of  thing  a  line  must  be 
drawn  somewhere,  and  he  drew  it  at  a  slow  trot, 
as  being  the  fastest  pace  that  should  be  expected 
of  his  old  bones  and  stiff  muscles. 

"  Who  in  the  world  can  be  coming  here  ?"  cried 
Phil,  jumping  up  from  his  seat.  "  It  can't  be 
uncle!" 

But  the  moment  the  boys  got  a  good  look  at  the 
carriage,  they  perceived  that  the  individual  on  the 
back  seat  was  not  Mr.  Godfrey  Berkeley.  It  was 
a  young  person,  apparently  a  boy. 

99 


100     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

When  the  carriage  reached  the  front  of  the 
house,  Phil  went  down  the  steps  to  receive  the 
visitor. 

This  person  was  already  working  at  the  crooked 
handle  of  the  carriage  door,  and,  having  at  last 
succeeded  in  turning  it,  he  quickly  got  out. 

He  was  a  well-dressed  young  fellow,  scarcely  as 
tall  as  Phil,  but  apparently  two  or  three  years 
older.  He  had  dark  hair  and  eyes,  and  a  very 
small  moustache,  which,  though  not  noticeable  at  a 
distance,  was  quite  distinct  when  one  stood  near  and 
looked  him  full  in  the  face.  This  young  person 
stepped  up  quickly  to  Phil  and  held  out  his  hand. 

"  Is  this  my  Cousin  Phileep  ?"  he  asked,  with  a 
smile. 

"  I  am  Philip  Berkeley,"  said  our  friend,  taking 
the  hand  of  his  visitor,  and  looking  very  much 
bewildered. 

"  Zen  you  are  my  cousin,  for  I  am  Emile  Touron. 
You  know  me  now  ?" 

Phil  did  not  know  him  from  Adam,  but  he  was 
saved  any  embarrassment  on  this  point  by  the  vis- 
itor turning  to  the  carriage  to  help  the  boy  pull 
out  a  small  trunk,  which  was  stowed  away  in  the 
front  of  the  vehicle. 

The  driver  was  paid,  and  drove  away,  and  Phil 
then  took  hold  of  one  handle  of  the  trunk  to  assist 
his  visitor  in  carrying  it  up  the  steps. 


THE   YOUNG   MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL     101 

"  One  moment,"  said  his  new-found  cousin. 
"  Let  me  gaze  upon  zis  sharming  house — zese 
lovely  plains  I"  And  he  looked  over  the  lawn 
and  the  pasture-field  with  a  glistening  eye,  and 
then  stepped  backward  to  gaze  upon  the  house. 
"  Ah,  ze  bells  !  ze  bells  !"  he  cried.  "  Where  are 
ze  bells, — zose  lovely  bells  which  did  dingle-dangle 
all  ze  time,  '  Come  to  dinner !  Dinner  ready ! 
Hurry  up  !'  I  was  a  boy  when  I  heard  zose  lovely 
bells,  and  I  did  zink  zey  dingled  in  Shinese.  But 
it  was  all  ze  same  to  me.  Where  are  zey  now  ? 
Haf  zey  blown  away  ?" 

"  I  never  saw  them  at  all,"  said  Phil.  "  My 
uncle  took  them  down  before  I  came  here.  He 
did  not  like  them." 

The  face  of  Monsieur  Emile  assumed  a  shocked 
expression. 

"  Not  like  zose  bells,"  he  exclaimed, — "  zose 
angel  bells  !     I  say  no  more  !" 

And  taking  hold  of  one  handle  of  the  trunk,  he 
and  Phil  carried  it  up  the  steps. 

Chap,  who  had  been  gazing  in  silent  wonder- 
ment at  the  visitor,  was  now  introduced  to  him. 
Emile  Touron  shook  hands  with  the  tall  boy,  but 
apparently  took  little  interest  in  him,  and  sug- 
gested to  Phil,  as  they  passed  into  the  hall,  that 
as  they  now  had  hold  of  the  trunk  they  might  as 
well  carry  it  up  into  the  room  he  was  to  occupy. 


102     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL 

Phil's  mind  was  not  prepared  for  such  prompt 
action,  but  he  was  a  quick  thinker,  and  of  a  polite 
and  hospitable  nature. 

He  asked  to  be  excused  a  moment,  and  ran  out 
into  the  porch  and  very  soon  arranged  with  Chap 
that  he  should  move  into  Phil's  room  and  let  the 
visitor  have  the  one  he  occupied. 

No  further  preparations  being  necessary,  the 
new-comer  was  put  into,  possession  of  Chap's  bed- 
chamber, while  the  big  valise  and  small  amount  of 
clothing  belonging  to  Master  Webster  were  carried 
into  Phil's  room. 

Monsieur  Emile  desired  to  make  some  change 
in  his  toilet,  and  Phil  left  him  to  himself.  He 
found  Chap  in  the  hall,  eager  to  know  all  about 
this  newly  arrived  cousin. 

"  All  I  know  about  him,"  said  Phil,  "  is  that 
my  aunt  married  a  Frenchman  named  Touron, 
but  I  always  thought  she  had  no  children." 

"  And  if  she  had  had  any,"  said  Chap,  "  they 
wouldn't  have  been  French  ones." 

"  That's  very  true,"  said  Phil ;  "  at  least,  not  so 
French  as  this  fellow.  They  would  always  have 
lived  in  America.  And,  besides,  he  is  too  old  to 
be  my  aunt's  son.  I  remember  when  she  was 
married.  I  was  a  little  chap,  but  I  heard  it  talked 
about." 

"  Then  it's  all  plain  enough,"  said  Chap.    "  Your 


THE  YOUNG   MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     103 

French  uncle  was  married  twice,  and  this  is  one 
of  the  original  children." 

"  You  are  right,  no  doubt,"  said  Phil ;  "  but 
that  doesn't  make  him  much  of  a  cousin,  does  it  ?" 

"  He  seems  to  be  quite  at  home,  for  all  that," 
said  Chap. 

"  I  have  often  heard,"  said  Phil,  "  that  my  aunt 
and  her  husband  spent  a  good  deal  of  time  here 
while  my  grandfather  was  alive,  and  I  suppose 
this  boy  was  with  them." 

"  That's  it,  I  guess,"  said  Chap ;  "  but  I  don't 
remember  him.  I  didn't  come  here  much  in  those 
days."  After  a  pause,  he  continued  :  "  Now  that 
you've  got  your  cousin  here,  I  don't  suppose  you 
want  me.  Things  look  as  if  he  were  going  to 
make  a  good  deal  of  a  stay." 

"  Now,  look  here,  Chap,"  said  Phil,  earnestly. 
"  I  don't  want  any  of  your  nonsense.  Just  you 
hang  on  where  you  are.  It's  as  likely  as  not  I'll 
need  you  more  than  ever.  I  don't  wonder  this 
French  fellow  wanted  to  come  and  stay  awhile 
with  us,  for  if  he  has  been  here  before  he  must 
know  that  it's  a  tip-top  place  in  summer.  If  he'd 
come  when  uncle  was  here,  it  would  have  been  all 
right.  But  why  everything  should  turn  up  just 
now  I  can't  imagine." 

"Don't  worry  about  me,"  said  Chap.  "I'll 
hang  on." 


104     THE   YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

At  this  moment  Susan  appeared  at  the  door. 
She  had  not  spoken  to  Phil  since  he  threatened 
to  dismiss  her ;  but  now  she  saw  fit  to  break  the 
silence. 

"  Is  that  young  man  going  to  stay  here?"  she 
asked. 

"  I  suppose  he'll  stay  some  time/'  answered  Phil. 
"  He  brought  a  trunk." 

"  Well,  then,"  said  the  housekeeper,  "  if  you 
are  going  to  pay  me  off  and  discharge  me,  you 
might  as  well  do  it  now,  before  this  house  gets 
filled  up  with  boys." 

"  I  am  not  going  to  pay  you  off  and  discharge 
you,  Susan,"  said  Phil,  coloring  a  little,  "  for  I 
find  I  can't  do  it,  and  I  think  it  will  be  a  great 
deal  better,  Susan,  if  you'd  take  hold  and  pull 
along  squarely  with  me,  as  uncle  intended." 

"  Oh,  yes,  of  course  !"  said  Susan. 

And,  with  a  little  toss  of  her  head,  she  walked 
off. 

It  did  not  take  long  for  Phil  to  get  acquainted 
with  Emile  Touron,  for  the  young  Frenchman 
made  himself  very  much  at  home  at  Hyson  Hall. 
He  took  the  greatest  interest  in  the  place,  went  all 
over  the  house  and  farm,  visited  the  stables  and 
barn,  and  asked  a  great  many  questions,  some  of 
which  Phil  did  not  like,  as  they  concerned  the 
price  and  value  of  various  things  on  the  farm. 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     105 

It  was  evident  that  Emile  was  a  very  sharp- 
witted  and  practical  youth.  His  knowledge  fre- 
quently surprised  Phil  and  Chap ;  and  when  he 
met  with  anything  he  did  not  understand  he 
was  not  satisfied  until  he  found  out  all  that  he 
could  about  it. 

But  his  manner  to  Chap  was  not  always  pleas- 
ant, and  he  once  asked  Phil  how  long  "  zis  Shap" 
was  going  to  stay. 

"  For  a  long  time,  I  hope,"  said  Phil,  quickly. 
"  He  is  my  best  friend." 

And  the  subject  was  dropped. 

Chap  did  not  like  the  French  boy  at  all.  He 
generally  called  him  "  Emily,"  in  speaking  of 
him,  though  Phil  would  not  allow  him  to  do  so  to 
his  face. 

"  He  has  got  a  girl's  name,"  said  Chap,  "  and  we 
might  as  well  give  it  to  him  squarely  in  English." 

Not  only  was  Emile  personally  disagreeable  to 
Chap,  but  he  interfered  with  his  plans.  Chap 
wanted  very  much  to  go  to  work  on  the  wreck, 
and  if  he  did  so  now  he  must  either  conceal  the 
undertaking  from  the  French  boy  or  let  him  have 
part  in  it. 

The  first  was  evidently  impossible,  and  there 
were  many  objections  to  the  second.  The  greatest 
of  these  was  that  Emile  would  lay  claim  to  a  por- 
tion of  the  recovered  treasure. 


106     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

"  But  he  hasn't  any  right  to  it,"  said  Chap, 
when  talking  of  the  matter  to  Phil,  who  had  at 
last  consented  to  go  into  the  wrecking  business, 
although  he  had  not  been  told  the  story  of  the 
three  brothers.  "  A  fellow  can't  inherit  through 
his  father,  and  then  around  to  his  step-mother,  and 
back  to  her  ancestors,  can  he  ?" 

Phil  agreed  that  this  could  not  be  done,  and  it 
was  finally  concluded  to  tell  Emile  about  the 
wreck,  and  to  let  him  join  in  the  preliminary 
operations.  It  was  also  agreed  that  Phoenix  Poole 
should  be  taken  into  partnership. 

Phoenix  was  quiet,  but  he  was  a  good,  square 
fellow,  and  did  not  have  much  chance  for  fun. 
Work  was  rather  slack  at  the  Poole  farm  just 
then,  and  he  could  occasionally  have  an  opportu- 
nity to  get  away.  It  would  be  a  mean  thing,  both 
boys  agreed,  not  to  let  Phoenix  in. 

When  Emile  was  told  the  story  of  the  wreck 
and  the  sunken  treasure,  he  treated  it  with  incre- 
dulity, and  even  scorn. 

Phil  did  not  care  whether  he  believed  it  or  not, 
but  Chap  was  very  much  annoyed  that  any  one 
should  doubt  a  thing  so  self-evident  as  this,  in 
which  he  took  so  great  an  interest.  In  his  zeal  to 
convince  the  French  boy  he  told  him  much  more 
than  he  should  have  done,  considering  his  com- 
pact with  the  man  with  the  black  straw  hat ;  but 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     107 

Emile  shook  his  head  and  sneered  at  the  whole 
affair. 

Notwithstanding  this,  however,  he  made  one  of 
a  party  of  four  boys  who  went  down  to  the  river, 
one  warm  morning,  to  make  a  practical  survey  of 
the  position  of  the  wreck,  especially  that  part  of 
it  which  was  entirely  submerged. 

A  large,  flat  scow  was  poled  out  into  the  river, 
and  anchored  over  the  spot  where  Chap  had  calcu- 
lated that  the  stern  of  the  vessel  must  lie. 

The  boys  were  all  good  swimmers,  and  the  pre- 
liminary observations  were  to  be  made  by  diving. 
Emile  did  not  undress,  but  sat  in  the  scow  and 
watched  the  other  boys. 

Half  a  dozen  times  each  of  the  three  swimmers 
stood  up  on  the  side  of  the  scow,  and  plunged  to 
the  bottom  of  the  river,  but  each  time  they  came 
up  with  the  report  that  they  could  discover  noth- 
ing but  mud  and  mussel-shells. 

Phil  had  just  declared  that  they  might  as  well 
give  up  the  diving  business,  for  that  day,  at  any 
rate,  when,  to  the  surprise  of  the  other  boys, 
Emile  began  to  get  ready  to  go  into  the  water. 

"  It's  no  use  to  dive  for  ze  sunken  ship,"  he  said, 
"  but  it  is  so  hot  I  must  take  one  little  swim." 

It  was  evident  he  was  an  experienced  swimmer, 
for  he  made  a  splendid  dive.  He  sprang  as  far 
from  the  scow  as  he  could,  and  went  down  in  a 


108    THE   YOUNG   MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL 

slanting  direction  from  it.  He  stayed  under  a 
long  time, — so  long,  indeed,  that  the  other  boys 
began  to  get  a  little  troubled. 

"  I  don't  care  much  for  Emily,"  said  Chap, 
"  but  I  should  hate  to  have  him  stick  fast  in  the 
mud  and  be  drowned." 

When  the  French  boy  came  up  he  was  more 
than  forty  feet  from  the  scow,  and  he  puffed  at  a 
great  rate  as  he  swam  to  its  side. 

"  Now,  zen,"  said  he,  "  we  haf  all  had  enough  of  ze 
dive.  Zis  is  one  horrid  river.  You  stick  fast  some 
day,  and  never  come  up,  if  you  don't  take  care." 

No  one  seemed  inclined  to  differ  from  this 
opinion  ;  but  Phoenix  now  apjDeared  on  the  side 
of  the  scow,  ready  for  another  dive. 

"  Don't  you  do  zat !"  cried  Emile.  "  It  is  but 
vile  folly  to  swim  here.  Don't  I  tell  you  you  be 
drowned  ?" 

"  All  right !"  said  Phoenix  ;  and  in  he  went. 

Like  Emile,  he  sprang  far  from  the  scow,  and 
went  down  in  a  slanting  direction.  He  did  not 
stay  down  as  long  as  the  French  boy,  and  he  came 
up  much  nearer  the  scow. 

"  Now,  zen,"  said  Emile,  as  Phoenix  clambered 
on  board,  "  I  hope  you  is  satisfied." 

"  Enough  for  to-day,"  said  Phoenix. 

When  the  boys  reached  the  house,  Emile  went 
up-stairs  to  his  room. 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     109 

As  soon  as  he  had  disappeared,  Phoenix  took 
Phil  and  Chap  a  little  way  down  the  road. 

"  Look  here,"  he  said,  in  a  low  voice,  although 
there  was  nobody  near,  "  when  I  dived  that  last 
time  I  found  something." 

"What?"  asked  Chap  and  Phil  together. 

"  The  side  of  a  big  ship,"  said  Phoenix. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 


OLD    BRUDEN    FINDS    HIS    MASTER. 


The  assertions  of  Phoenix  in  regard  to  the  side 
of  a  ship  which  he  had  found  when  he  made  his 
last  dive  from  the  scow  were  very  positive. 

"  I  had  an  idea,"  he  said,  "  that  Frenchman  was 
studying  out  something.  I  knew  he  didn't  dive 
in  and  swim  ever  so  far  under  water  for  nothing, 
and  when  he  came  out  he  wanted  us  all  to  go 
home  as  fast  as  we  could.  That  looked  like  a 
trick,  and  I  thought  I'd  just  dive  in  and  see  what 
he  had  been  after ;  and  as  sure  as  I'm  born,  there 
is  a  side  of  a  ship  down  there  !  I  swam  right  up 
to  it,  and  it's  straight  up  and  down  like  the  wall 
of  a  house.  As  I  came  up  I  put  my  foot  against 
it,  and  pushed  off  towards  the  scow." 

This  report   filled  Chap  with  joy,  which  was 

somewhat  dampened  by  the  thought  that  Emile 

had  also  found  the  sunken  ship, 
no 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     m 

"  But  we  needn't  trouble  ourselves  about  that," 
said  Phil ;  "he  can't  dig  it  up." 

"  But  he  thinks  he  can,"  said  Chap.  "  If 
he  didn't  he  wouldn't  have  kept  so  quiet  about 
it ;  giving  us  good  advice  about  being  drowned  ; 
trying  to  pull  wool  over  our  eyes, — the  bull- 
frog !" 

The  boys  were  of  the  opinion  that  the  wreck 
must  have  parted  somewhere  about  the  middle, 
and  that  the  stern,  or  after-portion,  which  ex- 
tended out  into  deep  water,  had  been  gradually 
forced  by  the  heavy  spring  tides  a  short  distance 
farther  down  the  river. 

It  was  agreed  that  surveys  and  examinations 
should  be  made  as  soon  as  they  could  do  so  with- 
out the  company  of  the  French  boy. 

"  I'm  going  to  keep  an  eye  on  him,"  said  Chap, 
"  to  see  that  he  don't  do  anything  on  his  own 
account.  It  would  be  just  like  him  to  get  a  lot  of 
nitro-glycerine  and  an  electric  battery  and  blow 
the  whole  thing  up  without  letting  us  know  any- 
thing about  it." 

"  I  guess  we'd  know  it  when  she  blew  up,"  said 
Phil,  "  and  then  we  could  go  down  and  rake  up 
the  golden  guineas  that  would  be  scattered  along 
the  shore." 

"  You  are  always  making  fun,"  said  Chap. 
"  Now,  I  am  in  earnest  about  this  thing !" 


112     THE   YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

"  You'll  find  me  in  earnest,  too,"  said  Phil,  "  if 
the  time  ever  comes  to  do  anything." 

The  Webster  family  now  considered  it  proper 
for  Chap's  visit  at  Hyson  Hall  to  come  to  an  end, 
but  there  was  no  objection  to  his  spending  as  much 
of  his  vacation  time  there  as  he  chose,  provided 
he  came  home  to  eat  and  sleep. 

This  interfered  somewhat  with  his  intended 
watch  over  Emile,  but  in  spite  of  obstacles  he  kept 
a  constant  eye,  if  not  upon  the  French  boy,  at 
least  upon  the  scene  of  his  expected  operations. 

Very  often,  when  he  was  at  home,  Chap  would 
go  out  on  the  porch,  and  with  a  long  spy-glass 
carefully  scan  the  river-shore  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  wreck. 

Phil's  mind  was  too  full  of  other  things  to  allow 
him  to  give  much  thought  to  the  sunken  ship, 
although  he  would  have  been  delighted  to  have  a 
pile  of  golden  guineas  just  at  this  time.  He  had 
thought  at  first  that  it  would  be  a  capital  thing  to 
be,  for  a  time,  the  master  of  Hyson  Hall,  but  now 
he  was  heartily  sick  of  it,  and  wished  most  earn- 
estly that  his  uncle  would  come  home  and  relieve 
him  of  his  anxieties  and  responsibilities. 

Sometimes  he  began  to  think  his  uncle  had  not 
done  right  in  going  off  in  this  peculiar  way,  and 
leaving  his  money  affairs  in  such  a  bad  condition. 
But  Phil  quickly  put  such  ideas  from  his  mind. 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     H3 

He  had  always  known  his  uncle  as  an  honorable 
man,  and  if  he  left  but  little  money  behind  him, 
it  was  because  he  had  forgotten  the  large  claim 
which  Mr.  Welford  said  he  had  paid  out  of  the 
funds  in  his  hands. 

But  money  affairs  were  not  the  only  things 
which  troubled  Phil.  Day  by  day  Emile  Touron 
made  himself  more  disagreeable.  He  pried  into 
everything  that  was  going  on,  even  spending  a 
good  deal  of  time  with  Joel,  endeavoring  to  find 
out  from  him  everything  he  could  in  regard  to 
the  probable  value  of  the  little  wheat  crop,  which 
was  nearly  ready  to  be  harvested.  But  Joel  had 
taken  a  dislike  to  the  youth,  and  gave  him  very 
little  satisfaction,  vexing  him  besides  by  his  non- 
committal answers. 

"What  will  be  planted  in  zat  field,"  asked 
Emile  of  Phil,  one  afternoon,  "  when  ze  wheat  is 
gone  ?" 

"  We  shan't  plant  anything,"  said  Phil ;  "  we'll 
let  it  come  up  in  grass." 

"  No  more  grass  is  wanted,"  said  Emile. 

At  first  Phil  was  inclined  to  make  no  answer  to 
this  remark,  but  as  the  French  boy  continued  to 
talk  on  the  subject,  Phil  told  him  that  it  was  in- 
tended, in  the  fall,  to  plough  up  the  pasture-field 
by  the  river  and  to  put  that  in  wheat  for  the  next 
season. 

8 


114     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL 

"  Plough  up  zat  beautiful  plain !"  cried  Emile. 
"It  zall  never  be  done." 

"  What  have  you  got  to  say  about  it  ?"  cried 
Phil,  turning  angrily  upon  him.  "  You  talk  too 
much  about  things  on  this  place  !" 

"  I  will  talk  more  when  it  is  mine,"  said  Emile, 
with  a  little  grin. 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  that?"  cried  Phil. 

"  What  do  I  mean  ?"  said  Emile,  turning  around 
and  staring  fixedly  at  Phil.  "  What  I  mean  is 
zis.  Just  you  listen  and  you  will  hear  what  I 
mean  !  Before  you  know  it,  zis  place  will  belong 
to  my  father,  which  is  ze  same  zing  as  mine.  Be- 
fore ze  old  man  Berkeley  died,  and  your  good 
uncle  was  spending  ever  so  much,  and  getting 
nothing,  he  borrowed,  and  borrowed,  and  borrowed 
money  from  my  father ;  and  when  he  came  here, 
and  had  all  this  property,  he  was  to  pay  it ;  but 
he  wait,  and  wait,  and  he  never  pays  it.  And 
now  my  father  he  hears  zat  Mr.  Godfrey  is  gone 
away,  nobody  knows  where,  and  everybody  zinks 
he  will  never  come  back " 

"  That  is  a  lie  !"  cried  Phil.  "  His  friends  all 
know  he  will  come  back." 

"  My  father  does  not  know  it.  He  says  he  will 
never  come  back,  and  he  sends  me  here  to  see, 
and  I  say  he  will  never  come  back.  We  have  a 
mortgage  on  zis  place,  and  we  will  have  it  sold, 


THE  YOUNG   MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL     115 

and  we  zall  buy  it,  and  zall  come  here  to  live. 
And  zose  bells — zose  angel  bells — zall  be  put  once 
more  upon  ze  roof  to  dingle-dangle  in  ze  wind. 
What  do  you  zink  of  zat,  Master  Pheel  ?" 

"  I  don't  believe  one  word  of  it  I"  cried  Phil. 

"  You  will  believe  it  soon  enough,"  said  Emile. 

And  turning  away,  he  went  up-stairs,  leaving 
poor  Phil  in  a  state  of  excited  misery. 

In  spite  of  his  effort  to  convince  himself  that 
what  the  French  boy  had  told  him  was  merely  an 
invention  to  annoy  him,  he  could  not  help  believing 
that  the  story  was  true. 

He  now  saw  the  meaning  of  Emile's  interest  in 
the  place.  He  had  been  sent  here  to  find  out 
about  everything,  because  he  and  his  father  ex- 
pected to  own  everything.  And  he,  Phil,  could 
do  nothing.  If  his  uncle  would  only  come  back, 
and  come  quickly ! 

While  our  young  friend  was  walking  up  and 
down  the  hall,  torturing  his  mind  with  thoughts 
of  the  great  impending  evil,  Emile  came  down  the 
stairway.  Phil  did  not  speak  to  him,  nor  did  he 
pay  any  attention  to  him  till  he  reached  the  front 
door,  then,  to  his  utter  amazement,  he  perceived 
that  Emile  carried  Old  Bruden  under  his  arm. 
In  an  instant  Phil  sprang  towards  him. 

"  What  are  you  doing  with  that  gun  ?"  he  said. 

"  I    am   going   to    zoot   two   little  birds,"   said 


116     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

Emile,  quietly.  "  It  is  a  long  time  since  I  liaf 
zoots  ze  little  birds.  Ze  gun  was  loaded  already, 
but  I  put  on  two — what  you  call  zem  ? — caps." 

"  Put  down  that  gun !"  roared  Phil.  "  You 
shall  not  use  it !     How  did  you  dare  to  take  it?" 

At  this  moment  Susan  appeared  in  the  hall. 

"  Susan,  did  you  give  him  that  gun  ?"  cried 
Phil. 

"  No,  I  didn't !"  exclaimed  Susan,  who  was 
evidently  in  a  state  of  high  excitement.  "  He 
sneaked  into  my  room  and  took  it.  That's  the 
way  he  got  it !  Catch  me  giving  it  to  him  !  He 
has  been  prying  all  over  the  house,  and  he  saw  it 
there." 

"  Put  that  gun  down  instantly !"  said  Phil, 
stepping  close  to  Emile. 

The  latter  fell  back  a  little. 

"Very  well,"  said  he,  "I  will  do  zat,"  and 
walking  deliberately  to  a  corner  of  the  hall,  he 
stood  the  gun  carefully  against  the  wall.  "  Now, 
zen,"  said  he,  returning  to  Phil,  "  let  me  say 
somezing.  All  zat  is  in  zis  house  is  ze  same 
zing  as  mine.  If  I  want  to  use  a  gun,  or  any 
ozer  zing,  I  use  it ;  but  if  you  had  been  amiable, 
I  would  haf  been  amiable.  But  you  choose  your 
own  way.  Now,  zen,  I  say  to  you,  Zere  is  zat 
gun.     Let  me  see  you  dare  to  touch  it !" 

In  an  instant  Phil  sprang  towards  the  gun,  but 


He  seemed  intent  upon  pushing  his  antagonist  backward 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     117 

before  he  reached  it,  Emile  seized  him  by  the 
shoulder  and  rudely  pulled  him  back.  Phil 
turned  savagely,  but  before  he  could  strike  the 
French  boy  the  latter  clinched  him,  and  a  violent 
struggle  ensued. 

Jenny  had  now  arrived  on  the  scene,  and  she 
and  Susan  stood  back,  almost  dumb  with  terror. 

"  Where  is  Joel  ?"  gasped  Susan. 

"He  has  gone  to  the  woods,"  replied  Jenny, 
with  tears  in  her  eyes. 

Emile  was  taller  and  stronger  than  Phil,  and  in 
a  contest  of  this  kind  he  had  greatly  the  advan- 
tage. His  method  of  fighting  was  very  peculiar. 
He  seemed  intent  upon  pushing  his  antagonist 
backward  and  jamming  him  against  chairs  and 
the  corners  of  tables. 

Two  or  three  times  it  looked  as  if  Phil's  back 
would  be  broken,  but  he  always  managed  to  twist 
himself  out  of  his  awkward  positions. 

At  last  Emile  thrust  him  violently  away  from 
him  and  sent  him  staggering  backward  across  the 
hall.  At  that  moment  Susan  rushed  forward. 
Snatching  Old  Bruden  from  the  corner  where  it 
stood,  she  ran  to  Phil  and  put  the  gun  in  his 
hand. 

"  Here,"  she  cried,  "  take  it  and  kill  him  !" 

Phil  mechanically  took  the  gun,  but  he  did  not 
raise  it  nor  try  to  carry  out  Susan's  blood-thirsty 


118     THE   YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

instructions.  Emile,  however,  thought  he  was 
going  to  be  shot. 

Turning  pale,  he  hesitated  for  a  moment,  and 
then  dashed  up-stairs,  where  he  rushed  into  his 
room  and  slammed  the  door  after  him. 

"There,  now,"  said  Susan,  as  Philip  stood,  still 
panting,  and  holding  Old  Bruden  in  his  hands, 
"just  you  keep  that  gun  and  be  master  of  this 
house !" 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


PHCENIX    SEES    HIS    DUTY    AND    DOES    IT. 


Strange  to  say,  Phil  felt  at  this  moment  as  if 
he  were  the  real  master  of  the  house.  Ten  min- 
utes before  he  would  have  supposed  that  such  a 
feeling  would  never  come  to  him  again. 

He  looked  down  at  the  gun,  he  looked  at  Susan, 
and  then  he  looked  at  the  stairway,  up  which 
Emile  had  fled.  He  did  not  say  anything,  and 
Susan  stood  silent.  As  for  Jenny,  she  retired  into 
the  dining-room,  where,  through  the  open  door, 
she  watched  the  scene. 

Raising  the  hammers  of  the  gun,  Phil  took  off 
the  caps,  which  he  put  into  his  vest-pocket ;  then, 
carefully  letting  down  the  hammers  again,  he 
handed  Old  Bruden  to  the  housekeeper. 

"  Susan,"  said  he,  "  will  you  take  this  gun  and 
hang  it  up  in  the  gun-room  ?  And  I  would  like 
you  to  lock  the  door  and  bring  me  the  key." 

119 


120     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

"  I'll  do  it,"  said  Susan,  promptly ;  "  aud  if 
you'll  wait  here,  I'll  bring  you  the  key  in  a  min- 
ute." 

"  Knocked  under,"  said  Jenny,  softly,  to  her- 
self. "  I  never  would  have  believed  it  if  I  hadn't 
seen  it !" 

When  Susan  came  down-stairs  and  put  the  gun- 
room key  into  Phil's  hands,  he  received  it  with  a 
feeling  of  positive  exaltation.  One  of  his  great 
troubles  was  at  an  end.  Putting  on  his  hat,  he 
walked  cheerfully  down  to  the  stables.  For  a 
time,  the  effect  of  the  French  boy's  story  and 
threat  had  passed  from  his  mind. 

As  soon  as  Phil  was  well  out  of  the  house, 
Emile  came  cautiously  down-stairs.  Seizing  his 
hat  from  the  rack,  he  clapped  it  on,  went  out  and 
walked  down  the  shaded  roadway. 

He  was  very  angry,  not  only  with  everybody 
around  him,  but  with  himself.  He  had  suffered 
himself,  in  a  measure,  to  be  beaten,  and  had  run 
away. 

Nothing  could  more  thoroughly  exasperate  a 
person  of  his  nature  than  to  think  that  he  had 
done  a  thing  like  this.  He  walked  on  for  some  dis- 
tance, storming  inwardly  and  occasionally  shaking 
his  fist,  until,  when  he  had  nearly  reached  the 
outer  gate,  he  saw  Phoenix  Poole  approaching. 

Phoenix  had  come,  by  appointment  with  Cha]^, 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     121 

to  talk  over  plans  iu  regard  to  the  wreck,  but 
Chap,  that  afternoon,  had  been  detained  at  home. 

The  sight  of  Phoenix  still  further  enraged 
Emile.  He  was  the  boy  who  had  suspected  the 
motive  of  his  single  dive  from  the  scow,  and  had 
tried  to  find  out  what  he  had  been  doing  under 
water. 

"  What  do  you  want  here  ?"  cried  Emile,  as 
soon  as  he  came  within  speaking  distance  of  the 
other. 

"  What's  that  to  you  ?"  asked  Phoenix,  a  little 
surprised. 

"  You  go  home  !"  cried  Emile.  "  Nobody  wants 
you  here." 

"  I  won't  go  home  till  I'm  ready,"  said  Phoenix. 

"  Zen  you  be  ready  now !"  cried  the  excited 
French  boy.  "  What  you  come  here  for,  anyhow, 
you  little  schneak?" 

Phoenix  turned  around  and  walked  to  the  side 
of  the  road.  He  took  off  his  hat  and  coat  and 
laid  them  on  the  grass.  Then  he  came  back  to 
Emile  and  gave  him  a  tremendous  thrashing. 

It  was  of  no  use  for  the  French  boy  to  struggle 
or  resist.  Phoenix  Poole  was  the  strongest  boy  in 
that  part  of  the  country,  and  he  did  not  stop  till 
he  felt  that  his  work  was  thoroughly  done.  Then 
he  put  on  his  hat  and  coat  and  walked  up  to  the 
house. 


122     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL 

In  all  liis  life  Emile  had  never  been  thoroughly 
thrashed  before,  and,  among  his  other  sensations, 
that  of  astonishment  was  very  strong.  How  such 
a  little  fellow  could  whip  him  he  could  not  under- 
stand. But,  although  Phoenix  was  short,  he  was 
not  little.  Emile  had  never  taken  enough  interest 
in  him  to  notice  how  thick-set  and  muscular  he 
was. 

The  French  boy,  who  but  a  short  time  ago  had 
felt  and  acted  as  the  master  of  Hyson  Hall,  was 
now  so  thoroughly  cowed  that  he  was  afraid  to  go 
back  to  the  house.  He  was  just  as  angry  at  every- 
body as  he  had  been  before,  but  even  his  temper 
could  not  give  him  courage  enough  to  meet  that 
horrible  short  boy  again. 

Phoenix  did  not  find  Philip  in  the  house,  so  he 
went  down  to  the  stables. 

"  Chap  has  not  been  here  yet?"  said  he. 

"  No,"  said  Phil.  "  He  isn't  keeping  as  good  a 
watch  over  his  Emily  as  he  used  to.  If  he  isn't 
careful,  that  wreck  will  be  blown  up  before  he 
knows  it." 

After  a  short  silence,  in  which  he  occupied  him- 
self examining  the  points  of  Jouncer,  who  was 
being  rubbed  down  by  Joel,  Phoenix  remarked, — 

"  I  met  that  French  boy  as  I  was  coming  here." 

"You  did?"  said  Phil,  who  did  not  consider 
this  statement  of  any  importance. 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     123 

"  Yes,"  continued  Phoenix,  "  and  I  licked  him." 

At  these  words  Phil  turned  round  in  utter 
amazement ;  Joel  stopped  his  work,  and  even 
Jouncer  turned  his  head,  as  if  to  listen  to  what 
was  coming  next. 

Phoenix  was  such  a  very  quiet,  peaceable  boy 
that  no  one  ever  thought  of  his  engaging  in  a 
fight.  This  was  certainly  something  very  extraor- 
dinary. 

"  What  in  the  world  put  you  up  to  that  ?"  cried 
Phil.     "  Did  he  give  you  any  of  his  impudence  ?" 

"  Well,"  said  Phoenix,  slowly,  "  he  did  rub  my 
hair  up  the  wrong  way." 

"  He  must  have  rubbed  pretty  hard,"  said  Phil, 
laughing,  "  to  make  you  fight  him." 

"  It  wasn't  altogether  what  he  said,"  remarked 
Phoenix ;  "  but  from  what  I  had  seen  of  him,  and 
from  what  you  and  Chap  told  me,  I  considered  it 
a  sort  of  duty  to  lay  him  out." 

Joel  burst  out  laughing  at  this,  and  went  to 
work  with  great  vigor  upon  Jouncer,  while  Phoe- 
nix, a  little  confused,  put  his  hands  in  his  pockets, 
and  said  he  guessed  he'd  look  round  and  see  if 
Chap  was  coming. 

Chap  did  arrive  soon,  and  the  three  boys  went 
to  the  shady  front  porch  to  talk  over  matters. 

When  Chap  heard  what  had  happened  to  Emile 
he  fairly  danced  with  glee,  and  he  gave  Phoenix 


124     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

no  rest  until  lie  had  told  the  story  with  great  mi- 
nuteness. 

Phil  had  made  up  his  mind  that  he  would  tell 
Chap  of  the  new  trouble  which  threatened  him, 
and  he  now  concluded  to  take  Phoenix  also  into 
his  confidence.  A  fellow  who  had  done  what  he 
had  deserved  to  know  all  that  was  going  on. 

The  dreadful  revelation  of  the  real  object  of 
Emile  Touron's  visit,  and  the  mortgage  held  by 
his  father,  took  all  the  cheerfulness  out  of  Chap, 
and  made  Phcenix  look  blank  indeed. 

At  first  the  boys  did  not  believe  the  story,  but 
Phil  was  certain  that  such  a  thing  would  not  be 
trumped  up  without  any  ground  whatever. 

"  Of  course,  my  uncle  knows  what  he  is  about," 
he  said,  "  and  intends  to  make  everything  all 
right ;  but  he  could  have  had  no  idea  the  Tourons 
would  come  down  suddenly  this  way.  If  I  could 
only  let  him  know  what  is  in  the  wind,  he'd  be 
back  in  no  time,  and  put  a  stop  to  this  foolery." 

Phil  felt  bound  to  speak  as  cheerfully  and  hope- 
fully as  he  could,  but  the  more  he  talked  and 
thought  upon  the  subject,  the  more  doleful  he 
felt.  Both  his  friends  agreed  that  the  best  thing 
he  could  do  was  to  see  somebody  as  soon  as  he 
could,  and  they  supposed  the  right  person  to  see 
was  Mr.  Welford. 

Phil  could  not  help  agreeing  with  them ;  and, 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     125 

although  he  did  not  care  to  see  Mr.  Welford  again 
after  the  way  in  which  he  had  been  treated  by  that 
gentleman  in  his  last  interview,  he  made  up  his 
mind  to  pay  him  a  visit  early  the  next  morning. 
The  matter  was  very  urgent,  and  there  was  no  one 
else  with  whom  he  could  consult. 

Joel  now  appeared  upon  the  porch. 

"  That  young  French  gentleman,"  said  he, 
"  wants  his  clothes  aud  things.  He's  going  away. 
He  asked  me  to  pack  them  up  in  his  little  trunk 
and  bring  it  out  to  him.  He  says  the  people  here 
haven't  been  polite  to  him," — and  here  Joel  burst 
into  a  laugh  at  the  thought  of  Phoenix's  impolite- 
ness,— "  and  that  he  don't  care  about  coming  to  the 
house." 

"  Where  is  he  going  ?"  cried  Phil.  "  He 
oughtn't  to  leave  like  this.     I'll  go  and  see  him." 

"You'd  better  not,"  said  Joel.  "He's  just 
white  mad ;  and  Susan's  been  telling  me  you've 
had  one  scrimmage  to-day.  He's  going  to  town, 
and  wants  me  to  take  him  in  the  buggy.  He's  an 
ugly  customer,  and  you'd  better  let  him  go.  I 
suppose  I  can  take  the  buggy  ?" 

Phil  thought  a  moment,  and  then  concluded 
that,  as  Emile  would  certainly  go,  it  would  be  bet- 
ter to  let  him  do  so  without  further  words. 

"  All  right,"  said  he  to  Joel.  "  You  can  bring- 
down his  trunk,  and  drive  him  to  town."      And 


126     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL 

then,  turning  to  the  housekeeper,  who  was  crossing 
the  hall,  he  said,  "  Susan,  will  you  please  go  up- 
stairs and  pack  Emile's  trunk  ?  You  can  gather 
up  all  his  things  and  put  them  into  it,  and  then 
Joel  will  come  and  get  it  when  he  has  hitched  the 
horse  to  the  buggy." 

"Certainly,"  said  Susan;  "and  I'll  be  glad 
enough  to  do  it." 

And  she  promply  went  up-stairs. 

No  more  astonished  boy  than  Chap  ever  stood 
upon  a  porch.  The  story  of  the  three  brothers, 
the  account  of  Emile's  thrashing,  even  the  astound- 
ing news  in  regard  to  the  Touron  mortgage,  had 
not  had  such  an  effect  upon  him  as  this  obedience 
on  the  part  of  Susan.  He  stood  with  his  mouth 
open,  not  knowing  what  question  to  ask  first. 

"  You  see  Susan  has  come  round  all  right,"  said 
Phil,  who  had  noticed  his  friend's  amazement. 

"  What  did  you  do  to  her  ?"  gasped  Chap.  "  Did 
you  squirt  kerosene  into  her  room — I  thought  of 
that  myself,  and  I  knew  she  wouldn't  be  able  to 
stand  it  long — or  did  you  pay  her  up  ?" 

"  I  didn't  do  anything,"  said  Phil.  "  She  just 
came  round  naturally." 

"  I  didn't  believe  it  was  in  her,"  said  Chap,  sol- 
emnly. "  Upon  my  word,  Phil,  I  didn't  believe  it 
was  in  her !" 

"  I  tell  you  what  it  is,  Phil,"  said  Phoenix,  a 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL     127 

short  time  afterwards,  as  Joel  came  down-stairs 
with  Emile's  trunk  upon  his  shoulder,  "  you'd  bet- 
ter look  out  for  that  Frenchman.  He'll  be  worse 
now  than  ever.  If  I'd  known  what  a  regular  out- 
and-out  scamp  he  was,  I  don't  know  that  I  would 
have  licked  him.  It's  some  satisfaction  to  lick  a 
fellow  with  some  good  in  him,  but  it  don't  help 
a  chap  like  that  a  bit, — it  only  makes  him  worse." 
"  That's  so  !"  cried  Chap.  "  A  thrashing  only 
packs  his  villany,  and  rams  down  his — his — 
bloody  intentions.  We  must  look  out  for  him, 
boys,  and  consider  ourselves  in  a  regular  state  of 
siege.  Every  approach  must  be  guarded.  I'll  get 
my  folks  to  let  me  stay  here  now.  It's  absolutely 
necessary.  Mother  asked  me  to  get  her  some 
summer  apples  this  afternoon,  and  I  couldn't  come 
over  as  soon  as  I  wanted  to.  But  I  tell  you  I 
climbed  that  tree  with  a  spy-glass  in  one  hand, 
and  I  kept  a  lookout  on  the  wreck.  I  wasn't 
going  to  let  Emily  get  ahead  of  me  because  I  had 
to  stay  at  home  a  little  while.  But  things  will  be 
worse  now,  boys,  and  we  must  stick  to  our  posts." 


-  "V 


r\,^X  '"\~ 


CHAPTER    XV. 

THE   FIRE   ON    THE   THOMAS   WISTAR. 

When  Mr.  Welford  heard  Phil's  story  the  next 
morning  he  looked  very  grave.  He  was  not  alto- 
gether surprised  at  the  news,  because  he  had  known 
there  was  a  mortgage  upon  the  property,  and,  as 
he  remarked  to  Phil, — 

"  If  a  man  disappears  suddenly  and  leaves  af- 
fairs of  that  kind  behind  him,  he  may  expect 
trouble.  I  am  not  a  lawyer,  nor  have  I  full 
knowledge  of  your  uncle's  business,  but  I  know 
that  for  some  time  he  has  been  making  arrange- 
ments to  satisfy  all  claims  against  him,  and,  among 
other  things,  to  relieve  his  property  of  this  mort- 
gage, which  was  intended  to  be  a  temporary  thing, 
and  was  given  to  satisfy  old  Touron,  who  insisted, 
as  soon  as  your  grandfather  died,  upon  having  his 
claim  against  your  uncle  secured  in  this  way.  I 
would  have  expected  Touron  to  foreclose  the  mort- 

128 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     129 

gage  if  he  had  a  legal  chance,  which  I  suppose  he 
has." 

"But  why  should  he  do  it  just  at  this  time?" 
asked  poor  Phil. 

"  That  shows  his  talent  for  business,"  said  Mr. 
Welford.  "  What  he  wants  is  not  his  money,  but 
Hyson  Hall.  And,  having  heard  that  your  uncle 
is  away,  he  sends  his  son  here  to  see  if  his  absence 
is  likely  to  continue  for  any  considerable  time. 
Such  a  condition  of  affairs  would  be  of  great  ad- 
vantage to  him.  If  your  uncle  were  here,  he 
might  pay  whatever  interest  or  part  of  the  princi- 
pal was  due,  and  so  stop  proceedings." 

"  How  could  Mr.  Touron  have  heard  that  my 
uncle  had  gone  away  ?" 

"  He  lives  in  New  York,  and  such  news  could 
readily  travel  that  far.  Old  Touron  keeps  a  sharp 
lookout  on  his  debtors.  I  never  met  his  son,  but 
I  know  he  has  spent  most  of  his  life  in  France, 
where,  of  late,  he  has  been  acting  as  his  father's 
business  agent.  I've  no  doubt  he  is  a  sharp  fel- 
low." 

"  I  know  he  is,"  said  Philip.  "  He  is  in  town 
now.     He  left  us  yesterday." 

"  Then  I  believe  I  saw  him,"  said  Mr.  Welford. 
"  Has  he  dark  hair  and  eyes,  and  a  very  small 
moustache  ?     And  is  he  rather  taller  than  you  ?" 

"  That's  like  him,"  said  Phil. 

9 


130    THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

"  Then  I  saw  him  in  Mr.  Markle's  office,  where 
I  stopped  for  a  moment  this  morning.  He  is 
probably  engaging  Markle  to  attend  to  the  mat- 
ter." 

"  That  looks  very  badly,  does  it  not,  sir  ?"  said 
Phil,  with  a  little  huskiness  in  his  voice. 

Mr.  Welford  had  much  more  sympathy  for  his 
visitor  than  when  he  came  to  him  in  regard  to  the 
trouble  with  Susan.  This  was  something  of  an 
entirely  different  nature. 

"  It  does  look  badly,  my  boy,"  he  said,  "  but 
you  must*  not  despair.  I  have  no  authority  to 
attend  to  this  affair ;  but  your  uncle  is  my  friend, 
and  I'll  take  it  upon  myself  to  see  a  lawyer,  and 
have  the  property  protected,  if  possible.  One 
thing  you  must  remember.  If  you  can  in  any 
way  find  out  where  your  uncle  is,  you  must  do  it, 
and  let  him  know  how  things  are  going  on.  His 
presence  here  is  more  important  than  anything 
else." 

"  I  do  wish  that  I  had  the  slightest  idea  where  he 
is  !"  exclaimed  Phil.  "  All  that  I  can  find  out  is 
that  he  walked  away  with  a  knapsack  on  his  back." 

"  In  that  way  he  has  travelled  long  distances," 
said  Mr.  Welford.  "  But  he  may  be  crossing  the 
Atlantic  now  for  all  we  know.  Of  one  thing  we 
may  be  certain,  your  uncle  has  not  run  away  from 
his  debts.     He  is  an  honorable  man." 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     131 

"  I  know  that,"  said  Phil,  warmly. 

"  Yes,"  continued  Mr.  Welford.  "  He  is  un- 
doubtedly careless,  and  his  mind  is  occupied  with 
too  many  things  ;  but  he  is  not  dishonorable.  And 
now,  my  boy,  go  home,  and  make  yourself  as  easy 
as  you  can.  I'll  find  out  how  things  are  going  on, 
and  let  you  know.  By  the  way,  how  did  you 
manage  that  affair  with  the  housekeeper  ?  Have 
you  discharged  her  ?" 

"  Oh,  no,  sir  !"  said  Phil.  "  That's  all  right. 
We're  good  friends  again." 

"  I  am  very  glad  to  hear  it,"  said  Mr.  Welford. 
"  That  looks  as  if  you  were  getting  into  the  right 
way." 

And  he  laid  his  hand  on  Phil's  shoulder,  which 
was  a  good  deal  for  Mr.  Welford  to  do  for  any  boy. 

When  Phil  left  the  banker's  office  he  made  up 
his  mind  that  his  great  duty  was  to  find  his  uncle. 
This  was  the  only  thing  that  he  could  even  try  to 
do  now ;  but  how  to  set  about  it  he  did  not  know. 

As  he  rode  away,  he  saw  a  crowd  of  people  run- 
ning down  towards  the  river-front  of  the  town. 
He  stopped  a  boy,  and  asked  him  what  was  the 
matter. 

"  The  Thomas  Wistar's  afire  !"  said  the  boy,  as 
he  scampered  off. 

Phil  knew  the  Thomas  Wistar  very  well.  She 
was  a  large  steamboat,  which  had  run  upon  the 


132     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

river  for  many  years.  She  was  once  a  passenger- 
boat,  but  lately  had  been  used  to  carry  freight. 
At  any  other  time  he  would  have  hurried  down  to 
the  river  with  the  crowd  ;  but  just  now  he  felt  that 
this  was  not  the  time  for  him  to  be  going  to  fires. 
He  must  hasten  home.  Perhaps  his  uncle  might 
be  there. 

He  had  not  gone  half  a  mile  before  he  saw  two 
men  in  a  wagon  driving  rapidly  towards  him. 
Just  as  he  reached  them  they  turned  into  a  cross- 
road which  led  down  to  the  river.  One  of  them 
called  back  to  him, — 

"There's  a  boat  on  fire,  floating  down  the  river !" 

Phil  looked  over  the  fields  and  could  see  the 
heavy  black  smoke  in  the  direction  of  the  river. 
Still  he  did  not  follow  the  men,  but  pushed  on 
towards  home  faster  than  before. 

"  If  she's  floating  down  the  river,"  he  thought, 
"  I  can  see  her  from  our  house." 

The  road  from  Boontown  to  Hyson  Hall  was 
half  a  mile  back  from  the  river,  and  on  his  way 
Phil  could  get  no  view  of  the  conflagration,  but, 
as  he  looked  back,  he  sometimes  saw  the  smoke, 
which  never  seemed  to  be  far  behind  him. 

"  She's  coming  down  pretty  fast,"  he  thought. 

"The  Thomas  Wistar  is  afire!"  he  said  to 
Joel,  when  he  dismounted  at  the  barn. 

"There's  none  of  my  property  on  board,"  re- 


THE  YOUNG   MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     133 

marked  Joel,  as  he  took  Joimcer's  bridle  and  led 
him  to  the  stable. 

Hurrying  to  the  house,  Phil  met  Jenny,  who 
told  him  that  Chap  Webster  and  Phoenix  Poole 
had  been  there,  and  had  gone  down  to  the  river. 

Phil  ran  round  the  house  and  over  the  fields  to 
the  water.  He  found  Chap  and  Phoenix  in  the 
scow,  which  they  had  poled  to  some  distance  from 
the  shore,  and  had  anchored  over  the  place  where 
Phoenix  had  found  the  side  of  a  shir). 

Apparently,  they  had  not  been  diving,  and 
were  now  standing  in  the  scow  looking  at  the 
burning  steamer,  not  half  a  mile  away. 

"What  boat  is  it?"  shouted  Chap,  as  Phil 
appeared  on  the  shore.  "We  can't  make  her 
out." 

"The  Thomas  Wistar,"  cried  Phil.  "Come 
ashore  for  me !" 

There  was  a  small  row-boat  fastened  to  the 
scow,  and  into  this  Phoenix  jumped  and  ferried 
Phil  over  to  the  scow. 

"  I  brought  our  little  boat  down,"  said  Chap, 
"  because  I  didn't  know  but  the  scow  might  be 
aground,  and  I  want  to  see  what  I  can  find  out 
about  this  thing  before  the  war  opens.  I  hope 
nobody  is  aboard  the  Wistar.  She  looks  as  if  she 
was  bound  to  burn  up." 

The  burning  steamboat,  which  was  coming  down 


134     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

the  river  with  the  wind  and  the  tide,  presented  a 
grand  spectacle.  Great  clouds  of  black  smoke 
arose  from  her,  which,  every  now  and  then,  were 
lighted  up  by  flashes  of  flame. 

The  wind  was  a  little  behind  her,  on  her  port 
side,  and  as  she  floated  down,  turned  partly  side- 
ways to  the  current,  it  blew  the  heavy  clouds  of 
smoke  in  front  of  her,  sometimes  almost  concealing 
her  bow  and  paddle-wheels  from  view. 

The  fire,  which  broke  out  as  she  lay  at  her 
wharf  that  morning,  had  got  beyond  control,  and 
she  had  been  cut  loose  and  set  adrift  for  fear  that, 
on  account  of  the  high  wind,  the  fire  might  spread 
to  other  vessels,  and  to  the  buildings  on  the  river- 
front. 

"  I  don't  believe  anybody  is  aboard  of  her," 
said  Phil.  "  There  must  have  been  time  for  all 
hands  to  get  off.  If  any  people  were  on  her  there'd 
be  boats  coming  down  to  take  them  off." 

"  There  isn't  any  steamboat  in  town,  except  the 
old  tub  of  a  ferry-boat,"  said  Chap,  "  and  they'd 
be  afraid  to  bring  her  anywhere  near,  for  fear  she'd 
take  fire  herself." 

"  I  wonder  how  far  she'll  float  down  the  river," 
said  Phoenix,  "  before  she  burns  to  the  water's  edge 
and  sinks  ?" 

"  Give  it  up,"  said  Chap.  "  But  I  tell  you  what 
it  is,  boys,  this  would  have  been  a  gorgeous  show 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     135 

at  night.  We  could  have  seen  the  blaze  better 
then,  and  the  sky  and  the  water  would  have  been 
lighted  up  for  miles.  It  would  have  gone  ahead 
of  any  fireworks  we  ever  saw." 

"  If  they  had  only  known  you  wanted  a  show," 
said  Phoenix,  "  they  might  have  smothered  the 
fire  and  put  off  the  display  till  night." 

"  Phoenix,"  said  Chap,  "  don't  get  in  the  way  of 
making  fun  of  peoj)le.  It's  sometimes  worse  than 
thrashing  'em.  But  she  does  look  grand,  doesn't 
she,  boys?" 

The  Thomas  Wistar  was  now  approaching  quite 
near,  and  although  she  was  well  out  in  the  river, 
the  boys  fancied  they  could  feel  the  heat  from  her, 
for  the  wind  was  blowing  somewhat  in  their  direc- 
tion. 

When  she  was  nearly  opposite  to  them,  they 
could  see  her  stern,  which  before  had  been  ob- 
scured by  the  clouds  of  smoke  which  rolled  in  front 
of  her,  and  it  was  evident  that  so  far  the  fire  had 
not  extended  to  that  portion  of  the  vessel.  The 
strong  wind  blew  sparks,  smoke,  and  flame  all  for- 
ward. 

"  Boys,"  cried  Phil,  "  let's  row  up  to  her  !  There 
may  be  somebody  on  board  of  her !" 

"  There  isn't  anybody  on  her,"  said  Chap,  "  or 
they'd  be  on  deck." 

"We  can  go  up  close  and  shout,"  said  Phil. 


136     THE  YOUNG  MASTEK  OF  HYSON   HALL 

"  There  might  be  somebody  below.  There  isn't 
any  clanger  if  we  keep  behind  the  fire.  Come 
along !" 

And  he  jumped  into  the  row-boat. 

Without  another  word  the  two  boys  tumbled  in 
after  him,  and,  untying  the  rope  which  held  them 
to  the  scow,  Chap  seized  the  oars  and  rowed  out 
to  the  burning  steamboat. 


.A  i    "/Am  him 


CHAPTER   XVI. 


SPATTERDOCK    POINT. 


The  three  boys  in  the  boat  soon  reached  the 
stern  of  the  burning  steamboat.  Here  the  wind 
kept  them  entirely  free  from  smoke  and  sparks, 
and  they  rowed  several  times  around  the  stern, 
shouting  loudly,  so  as  to  attract  the  attention  of 
any  one  who  might  be  on  board. 

But  no  answer  came  to  them,  and  they  saw  no 
signs  of  any  living  being  on  the  vessel.  The  tide 
carried  them  along  with  the  steamboat,  but  the 
wind  had  so  much  influence  on  the  larger  craft 
that  Chap  had  to  row  quite  steadily  to  keep  uj) 
with  her. 

Phil,  who  was  forward,  threw  the  rope  of  the 
small  boat  over  the  chain  on  the  rudder  of  the 
steamboat,  and  held  fast. 

"  Look  out !"  cried  Chap,  as  he  turned  around. 
"  We  don't  want  to  go  down  with  her  if  she  sinks  !" 

137 


138     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL 

"  You  needn't  be  afraid  of  that,"  replied  Phil ; 
"  I'll  let  go  in  time." 

"  She's  not  going  to  be  in  any  hurry  to  sink," 
said  Phoenix.  "  The  fire  is  all  forward  and  in  her 
upper  works ;  but  there's  no  use  in  hanging  on  to 
her,  there's  nobody  on  board." 

"  Boys,"  cried  Phil,  "  this  chain  is  loose  at  the 
other  end!  We're  pulling  it  out.  The  pilot- 
house and  wheel  must  be  all  burnt  up." 

"  Let's  pull  the  whole  of  it  out !"  cried  Chap. 
"  We  might  as  well  save  something  from  the 
fire.  We  could  use  the  chain  in  our  work  on  the 
wreck." 

"  We  couldn't  get  it  loose  from  the  rudder," 
said  Phil,  "  and  it  wouldn't  be  ours  if  we  did  save 
it." 

"  It's  a  great  pity,"  said  Phoenix,  "  that  this  big 
steamboat  should  burn  up,  and  everything  be  lost. 
There  are  people  on  the  shore  on  the  other  side, 
and  the  folks  are  coining  over  the  field  on  our 
side,  but  none  of  them  can  do  any  good." 

"  Nothing  could  do  any  good,"  said  Chap, 
"  except  a  steamboat  with  a  fire-engine  on  board. 
It  would  be  no  use  for  any  other  kind  of  boat  to 
come  near  her." 

"  If  she  would  only  drift  ashore,"  said  Phoenix, 
"  it  would  be  better  than  her  sinking  out  here." 

"  The  current  is  so  strong  it  keeps  her  out," 


THE   YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL     139 

said  Chap.  "  If  the  tide  wasn't  running  down  so 
hard  the  wind  would  blow  her  in  on  our  side." 

"  If  we  could  get  this  rudder  round,"  said  Phil, 
"  and  keep  it  hard  up,  I  believe  the  wind  would 
take  her  in  shore." 

"  Yes,"  said  Chap  ;  "  but  how  are  you  going  to 
do  it?  You  couldn't  push  a  rudder  around  and 
make  it  fast." 

"  Boys,"  cried  Phil,  "  let's  go  aboard  !  There 
isn't  any  danger,  and  if  we  can  find  a  tiller  up 
there  we  can  ship  it,  and  perhaps  we  can  steer  the 
old  Wistar  in  shore." 

"  But  how  would  you  get  up  ?"  asked  Phoenix. 

"If  we  stand  up  in  the  bow  we  can  reach  that 
little  window,"  said  Phil.  "  If  somebody  below 
would  give  us  a  boost  then  we  could  throw  up  one 
hand  and  get  hold  of  the  railings.  After  that  it 
would  all  be  easy  enough." 

"But  who  is  going  to  boost  the  last  fellow?" 
asked  Chap. 

"  One  of  us  ought  to  stay  in  the  boat  anyway," 
said  Phil,  "  to  row  around  and  pick  us  up  if  we 
have  to  jump  overboard." 

"  You  talk  as  if  you  were  going,  anyway,"  said 
Chap. 

"  I'd  like  to,"  answered  Phil ;  "  and  suppose, 
Chap,  you  stay  in  the  boat.  You  can  boost  better 
than  any  of  us,  because  you  are  so  tall." 


140     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL 

"  All  right !"  said  Chap.  "  I  suppose  some- 
body ought  to  stay  in  the  boat." 

"  It  will  be  a  ticklish  job,"  remarked  Phoenix, 
as  he  took  off  his  coat.  "  But  I  guess  we'll  try 
it." 

Chap  now  stood  up  in  the  boat,  balancing  him- 
self as  carefully  as  he  could,  and  when  Phil  had 
taken  hold  of  the  window-sill,  which  he  could  just 
reach,  Chap  gave  him  a  lift  which  enabled  him, 
at  the  first  grasp,  to  seize  the  railing  of  the  lower 
deck. 

For  a  moment  he  dangled  there,  looking  into 
the  window.  He  could  see  nothing,  for  there 
were  goods  piled  up  inside.  Then  he  got  one 
foot  on  the  window-sill,  and  scrambled  on  board. 

Phoenix  found  the  feat  more  difficult.  His  first 
trouble  was  that  he  could  not  reach  the  window- 
sill.  Chap  offered  to  lift  him  bodily,  but  Phoenix 
objected. 

"  If  I  haven't  got  hold  of  something  above,"  he 
said,  "  we'll  go  over,  boat  and  all." 

Then  Chap  hauled  out  an  old  box  from  under 
the  stern,  and  set  it  upon  one  of  the  seats.  On 
this  Phoenix  cautiously  mounted,  and  reached  the 
window-sill.  Then  Chap  attempted  to  boost  him, 
but  Phoenix  was  so  heavy  that  he  found  it  no  easy 
thing  to  do. 

On  his  first  attempt  his  vigorous  efforts  nearly 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL     141 

upset  the  boat,  but  he  succeeded  at  last,  and  when 
Phoenix  got  hold  of  the  railing  he  very  quickly 
hauled  himself  up. 

He  found  Phil  hard  at  work  untying  a  tiller 
which  had  been  made  fast  on  one  side  of  the 
deck. 

"  Get  that  other  end  loose,"  cried  Phil,  "  and 
we'll  ship  her  in  a  minute." 

The  boys  quickly  unfastened  the  tiller,  and  then 
they  ran  it  into  one  of  the  square  holes  in  the  end 
of  the  rudder-post,  which  projected  above  the 
lower  deck  on  which  they  stood. 

"  Now,  pull  around  !"  cried  Phil.  "  Push  her 
over  towards  the  wind  !" 

Phil  had  frequently  been  out  with  his  uncle  in 
a  sail-boat,  and  had  some  pretty  clear  ideas  about 
navigation.  The  boys  pushed  against  the  end  of 
the  tiller  with  all  their  force,  and  gradually  it 
moved  around.  The  smoke  rolled  up  from  the 
forward  part  of  the  vessel,  the  sparks  new  far 
ahead ;  but  there  was  no  heat  at  the  stern  of  the 
boat,  and  the  boys  did  not  believe  that  there  was 
any  fire  beneath  them. 

"  Hurrah  !"  cried  Chap,  from  below.  "  She's 
going  around  a  little !  Stick  to  her,  boys,  and 
hold  her  hard.  If  it's  too  much  for  you,  I'll 
get  aboard  and  help." 

"  Don't  you  do  it !"  shouted  Phil.     "  We  want 


142     THE   YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

that  boat  to  be  ready  for  us.  Don't  you  leave  her, 
Chap." 

"  All  right !"  shouted  Chap.  "  Put  her  round 
harder  yet,  boys,  and  hold  her." 

The  Thomas  Wistar,  now  held  by  her  rudder, 
was  being  gradually  turned  by  the  wind,  so  that 
her  bow  was  directed  towards  the  Hyson  Hall  side 
of  the  river.  The  breeze  was  still  on  one  side  of 
her,  but  more  astern  than  it  had  been,  and  it  was 
evident  that  if  the  rudder  could  be  held  in  its 
present  position  she  would,  before  long,  be  blown 
in  shore ;  but  whether  or  not  Phil  and  Phoenix 
could  remain  aboard  long  enough  for  this  to  happen 
was  a  question  both  to  them  and  to  Chap,  who 
kept  an  anxious  watch  on  them  from  below.  Even 
now,  for  aught  any  of  them  knew,  the  fire  might 
be  spreading  beneath  them. 

"  I  do  believe,"  said  Phil,  "  that  this  deck  is 
beginning  to  feel  hot  under  my  feet." 

"  I  guess  it's  because  you're  so  hot  yourself," 
said  Phoenix.  "We'd  see  smoke  coming  out  of 
some  of  the  cracks  if  the  fire  was  getting  under 
us." 

There  was  no  doubt,  howeyer,  that  the  fire  was 
approaching  the  stern  of  the  vessel.  The  wind 
was  not  blowing  so  hard  as  it  had  been,  and  when- 
ever there  was  a  partial  lull  in  it  the  boys  would 
feel  great  puffs  of  heat,  and  clouds  of  smoke  would 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     143 

gather  over  them ;  then,  when  the  breeze  freshened 
again,  the  heat  and  the  smoke  would  be  blown 
away,  and  they  could  breathe  freer.  They  could 
see  people  on  shore,  who  were  shouting  to  them, 
but  the  fire  made  such  a  roaring  noise  they  could 
not  hear  what  was  said. 

"  Lash  that  tiller  to  the  railings  and  come  off!" 
shouted  Chap,  who  kept  his  boat  quite  near  them. 
"  The  fire  will  spread  to  the  stern  before  you  know 
it,  and  the  whole  thing  will  blaze  up  in  a  flash. 
Come  off,  I  tell  you,  if  you  don't  want  to  be  cooked 
alive." 

"  I  wish  we  could  find  a  piece  of  rope,"  said 
Phil,  "  and  we'd  tie  this  tiller  fast,  and  get  off." 

"I  believe  we  chucked  those  bits  overboard 
when  we  cut  the  tiller  loose,"  said  Phoenix,  "  for  I 
can't  see  them ;  but  they  weren't  strong  enough, 
anyway." 

"  It  will  take  a  pretty  stout  rope  to  hold  this 
tiller,"  said  Phil. 

He  was  right,  for  every  muscle  of  the  boys  was 
strained  to  keep  the  rudder  in  its  position.  If  it 
had  not  been  for  the  great  strength  of  Phoenix,  it 
is  probable  that  they  could  not  have  done  it. 

The  wind  now  seemed  to  have  shifted,  for  a 
sudden  cloud  of  smoke  was  blown  right  over  the 
stern  of  the  boat.  In  ten  seconds  more  the  boys 
would  have  let  go  the  tiller  and  jumped  over- 


144     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

board,  but  the  smoke  was  blown  away  again,  and 
they  stood  to  their  work. 

"  I  hate  to  give  it  up  now,"  said  Phil.  "  We 
must  be  going  in,  for  the  shore  is  getting  nearer 
and  nearer." 

Chap,  who  kept  steadfastly  on  the  windward 
side  of  the  steamboat,  and  as  near  as  possible  to 
his  friends,  had  been  about  to  shout  when  the  last 
puff  of  smoke  came  over  them,  that  if  they  didn't 
come  off  he  would  come  on  board  and  pitch  them 
off,  but  suddenly  changed  his  tune.  He  had  fallen 
a  little  astern,  and  glancing  shoreward,  had  pulled 
his  boat  to  the  other  side  of  the  Wistar,  where  he 
could  see  both  the  shore  and  her  bow.  Pulling 
back  to  the  boys,  he  shouted, — 

"  Stick  to  her !  Stick  to  her  !  She's  heading 
splendidly  for  Spatterdock  Point !  She'll  be 
aground  in  a  minute  !" 

This  encouragement  came  none  too  soon.  The 
air  was  getting  decidedly  hot  around  the  boys,  and 
the  sides  of  the  saloon  cabin,  which  rose  before 
them  and  prevented  their  seeing  the  fire,  were  be- 
ginning to  smoke.  This  was  not  certainly  a  sign 
of  immediate  danger,  for  the  cabin  was  probably 
filled  with  smoke,  which  was  escaping  from  the 
cracks  around  the  windows,  which,  fortunately, 
were  all  closed. 

Phoenix  had  just  been  on  the  point  of  proposing 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     145 

that  they  should  get  out  of  this  thing  as  quickly 
as  they  could,  when  Chap's  words  came,  and  he 
forbore. 

The  eyes  of  the  boys  smarted  with  smoke  and 
heat,  and  their  backs  and  legs  began  to  ache  with 
the  great  strain  of  holding  that  swashing  rudder. 
If  the  boat  had  been  going  faster  through  the 
water  they  could  not  have  done  it. 

But  their  hearts  held  out,  and  if  they  were  near- 
ing  the  shore  they  would  not  give  out  just  yet. 

Directly,  there  was  a  gentle  jar,  which  ran  from 
the  bow  to  the  stern,  and  which  the  boys  distinctly 
felt  beneath  their  feet. 

"  The  bow  has  touched  !"  shouted  Phil.  "  Now 
put  the  rudder  round  and  let  the  wind  blow  her 
stern  in  shore." 

With  renewed  vigor  the  boys  pushed  the  end  of 
the  tiller  to  the  other  side  of  the  deck,  and,  as 
Phil  had  said,  the  wind  slowly  blew  the  stern  of 
the  boat  shoreward. 

"  She's  all  right  now  !"  cried  Phil.  "  Let  her 
go  and  skip." 

Whereupon  they  skipped. 

Over   the   railings  and   down  the  side  of  the 

steamboat  they  went,   sliding  or  dropping,  they 

scarcely  knew  which,  and  if  Chap  had  not  been 

ready  with  his  boat,  they  would  both  have  gone 

into  the  water.     There  was  no  more  danger  than 

10 


146     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

there  had  been  a  few  minutes  before,  but  the  mo- 
ment their  work  was  done  a  panic  had  seized  them, 
and  they  felt  they  could  not  get  away  from  that 
steamboat  too  soon. 

"  If  you  fellows  had  fallen  into  the  water,"  said 
Chap,  as  he  hurriedly  pulled  ashore,  "  you  would 
have  taken  your  deaths  of  cold,  for  I  never  saw 
you  look  so  hot." 

By  the  time  the  Wistar  had  been  blown  ashore, 
there  was  a  little  crowd  of  people  on  the  beach. 
Some  of  them  had  followed  the  burning  steamboat 
for  some  distance,  and  had  run  over  the  fields  to 
the  river  when  they  saw  her  coming  in.  Even 
Joel's  apathy  had  yielded  to  the  general  excite- 
ment, and  he  waded  into  the  water  and  pulled  in 
the  boAv  of  the  boys'  boat  before  it  touched  the 
sand. 

"  If  ever  there  was  a  pair  of  boys,"  he  said, 
addressing  the  red-faced  Phil  and  Phoenix,  "  as 
wanted  a  gar-deen,  it's  you  two.  If  your  uncle 
had  seen  you  aboard  that  bonfire,"  he  continued, 
addressing  Phil,  "  he'd  'a'  gone  wild." 

Neither  Phil  nor  Phoenix  made  any  reply  to 
this  remark,  but  walking  up  the  bank  out  of  the 
way  of  the  heat  and  the  smoke,  they  sat  down 
to  watch  the  subsequent  proceedings.  For  the 
present  they  felt  as  if  they  had  done  enough. 
Chap,    however,    rushed    in   among    the    people, 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL     147 

hewing  at  last  that  he  might  be  able  to  do  some- 
thing. 

Now  that  the  boat  was  securely  -aground  in  shal- 
low water,  and  there  was  a  good  chance  of  their 
getting  off  if  the  fire  came  too  near,  the  men  on 
shore,  who  would  not  have  dared  to  go  near  the 
blazing  steamer  when  she  was  out  in  the  river, 
showed  a  determination  to  do  what  they  could  to 
save  at  least  a  portion  of  the  boat  and  cargo. 

The  boards  were  torn  from  a  neighboring  fence 
and  placed  from  the  shore  to  the  lower  deck  of  the 
Wistar,  and  up  these  slippery  and  very  much  in- 
clined gang-planks  several  men  quickly  clam- 
bered. A  heavy  hawser  which  lay  on  deck  was 
passed  on  shore,  and  the  boat  was  made  fast  to  a 
tree. 

The  forward  part  of  the  Thomas  Wistar  was 
now  burned  to  the  water's  edge,  and  although  the 
freight  in  that  part  of  the  vessel  was  still  burning, 
it  was  believed  the  fire  did  not  now  extend  abaft 
the  engine. 

Late  in  the  afternoon,  a  steam-tug  from  the  city, 
which  had  been  telegraphed  for  from  Boontown, 
arrived,  with  a  fire-engine  on  board,  and  the  fire 
on  the  Thomas  Wistar  was  soon  extinguished. 

Long  before  this  event  occurred,  however,  three 
very  hungry  boys  went  up  to  Hyson  Hall  to  din- 
ner. 


N^*^r 


CHAPTER    XVII. 


IN    WHICH    A    COUNCIL    IS    HELD. 


The  next  morning,  when  Chap  Webster  came 
over  to  Hyson  Hall,  he  brought  his  sister  Helen 
with  him.  Phoenix  Poole  was  already  there,  for 
he  was  determined  to  make  the  best  of  the  period 
of  slack  work  on  his  father's  farm,  and  he  arrived 
very  early  in  the  day. 

"  Mother  sent  me,"  said  Helen  to  Philip,  "  to 
see  if  you  are  getting  on  comfortably  here,  and  if 
you  needed  anything  we  could  do  for  you.  She 
would  have  come  herself,  but  she  could  not  do  so 
to-day  because  she  had  things  to  attend  to  which 
she  could  not  very  well  leave." 

Mrs.  Webster  was  a  good  lady,  Avho  never  went 
away  from  her  home  except  on  Sunday,  because 
she  always  had  things  to  attend  to  which  she 
could  not  very  well  leave. 

"  Mother  thinks  that  men  can't  get  along  in  a 

148 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     149 

house  by  themselves,"  said  Chap.  "  I  don't  agree 
with  her ;  but,  if  you  want  anything  done  in  the 
way  of  buttons,  or  casting  a  general  eye  over  dusty 
corners,  Helen  is  just  as  good  as  she  is." 

"  Oh,  I  don't  need  anything  of  that  kind  !"  said 
Phil,  laughing.  "  Susan  attends  to  me  first-rate. 
But  it's  comfortable  to  have  neighbors  like  your 
mother,  who  are  kind  enough  to  send  to  see  how  a 
fellow  is  getting  along." 

"  Another  thing  mother  wants  to  know,"  said 
Helen,  "  and  that  is  if  you  really  do  want  Chap  to 
come  and  stay  with  you.  He  has  been  going  on 
at  a  great  rate,  trying  to  make  us  think  that 
something  like  a  band  of  Indians  was  coming  to 
attack  the  house,  and  that  he  ought  to  stay  here 
to  help  you  keep  them  from  climbing  in  at  the 
doors  and  windows." 

"  People  don't  climb  in  at  doors,"  said  Chap. 

"  Well,  they  get  in  somehow,"  said  Helen. 
"  But  do  you  really  want  him,  Phil  ?" 

"  Not  for  that  kind  of  thing,"  said  Phil ;  "  but 
I  should  be  very  glad  to  have  him  come  and  stay 
with  me  till  uncle  comes  back.  And  Phoenix, 
too,"  he  added. 

"  There's  no  use  talking  about  that,"  said 
Phoenix.  "  It's  hard  enough  for  me  to  get  off  in 
the  daytime." 

"  There's  only  one  difficulty  in  the  way,"  said 


150     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

Phil,  coloring  a  little.  "  I  don't  know  that  I'll  be 
able  to  feed  any  visitors.  The  money  uncle  left 
with  Mr.  Welford  to  keep  this  castle  in  running 
order  has  about  given  out " 

"  Oh,  pshaw  !"  said  Chap,  interrupting,  "  there's 
always  plenty  of  flour  and  butter  and  eggs  and 
vegetables  on  a  place  like  this ;  and  if  we  want 
butcher's  meat  and  groceries,  mother  can  send 
them  over  from  our  house,  and  call  them  my 
rations." 

"  Uncle  wouldn't  like  that,"  said  Phil,  "  and  we 
never  run  up  any  bills  with  the  people  in  town." 

"  At  any  rate,"  said  Chap,  "  if  one  fellow  can 
get  along  here,  two  can.  If  that's  the  only  objec- 
tion you  have  to  my  staying  here,  I'm  going  to 
stay.     I  don't  think  you  ought  to  be  left  alone." 

"  Nor  I,  either,"  said  Phil ;  "  and  if  I  starve 
you,  you  can  go  home  to  your  meals." 

"  Well,  then,  I  suppose  everything  is  going  on 
all  right,"  said  Helen,  "  except  the  money,  of 
course,  and  I'm  sure  there  will  be  no  trouble  about 
that.  Your  uncle  will  remember  that  he  didn't 
leave  you  enough,  and  will  send  you  some,  if  he 
doesn't  intend  to  come  back  soon." 

"I  don't  know  about  that,"  said  Phil;  "but 
everything  else  isn't  all  right.  I  would  like  you 
all  to  hear  a  letter  I  got  this  morning,  and  then 
to  tell  me  whether  you  think  that  it  is  all  right  or 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     151 

not.  I  suppose  Chap  has  told  you,  Helen,  about 
that  Touron  fellow  that  was  here  ?" 

"  I  believe  Chap  has  told  me  everything  that 
has  happened  here,  and  everything  he  knew  about 
everything,  and  I  hope  he  hasn't  told  me  more 
than  he  ought  to." 

"  Not  if  he  didn't  draw  too  much  on  his  imagi- 
nation," said  Phil.  "  I  knew  he  always  told  you 
everything,  and  I  don't  mind  a  bit  your  knowing 
what  is  going  on  here.  Now  just  listen,  all  of  you, 
to  this  letter  from  Mr.  Welford." 

Helen  Webster,  who  had  a  very  practical  and 
business-like  side  to  her  character,  sat  straight  up 
in  the  wicker  chair  which  Phil  had  brought  out 
on  the  porch  for  her,  and  prepared  to  give  her 
earnest  attention  to  all  the  details  of  Mr.  Welford's 
communication. 

Chap  stood  up  straight,  with  his  hands  in  his 
pockets  and  a  cloud  on  his  brow.  He  had  always 
had  his  doubts  of  that  Welford,  and  was  prepared 
to  criticise  whatever  he  might  hear.  Phoenix,  who 
was  a  good  hand  at  paying  attention,  but  a  poor 
one  to  talk,  sat  on  a  bench,  with  his  elbows  on  his 
knees  and  his  chin  in  his  hands,  and  gazed  stead- 
fastly at  Phil. 

Mr.  Welford's  letter  read  as  follows : 

"  Master  Philip  Berkeley, — Sir " 


152     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

"  He  begins  as  stiff  as  a  poker,"  said  Chap. 
"  And  he  stirred  me  up  like  a  poker,  too,"  said 
Phil. 

And  then  he  read  on  : 

"  I  have  put  the  matter  of  the  mortgage  on  Hyson  Hall 
into  the  hands  of  Mr.  John  P.  Harrison,  who  will  see  what 
can  be  done.  In  the  mean  time,  I  desire  you  to  make  every 
effort  to  find  out  your  uncle's  whereabouts,  and  to  acquaint 
him  with  the  state  of  affairs.  I  shall  put  an  advertisement 
into  several  newspapers,  requesting  him  to  return  as  soon 
as  possible." 

"  Your  uncle  won't  like  that,"  cried  Chap.  "  I 
shouldn't  wonder  if  he  thrashed  old  Welford  as 
soon  as  he  comes  back." 

"  Oh,  Chap,"  said  Helen,  "he  wouldn't  do  that !" 

"  No,"  said  Phil,  "  he  won't  thrash  him,  but  I 
know  he  won't  like  it.  But  the  worst  part  of  the 
letter  is  to  come." 

Phil  then  read : 

"  And  now,  sir,  I  have  to  say  that  I  have  received  very 
discreditable  accounts  of  you.  I  have  been  told,  and  have 
been  assured  that  every  word  of  the  statements  can  be 
proved,  that  young  Toui'on  was  shamefully  treated  at  yonr 
uncle's  house.  You  attempted  to  shoot  him  with  a  gun, 
and  he  was  afterwards  dreadfully  beaten  by  one  of  your 
comrades.  Such  conduct,  sir,  is  outrageous  and  amazing. 
You  are  not  only  acting  in  an  unlawful  and  ungentlemanly 
manner,  but  you  are  directly  working  against  the  most 
important  interests  of  your  uncle  by  injuring  and  exasper- 


THE  YOUNG   MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     153 

ating  the  holders  of  the  mortgage  on  his  property,  so  that 
they  will  push  their  claims  to  the  utmost  limit.  What 
action  against  you  personally  may  be  taken  by  the  Tourons 
I  do  not  know.  If  you  get  into  trouble  you  must  apply 
to  Mr.  Harrison.  There  is  no  more  money  subject  to  your 
order  in  my  hands,  and  I  wish  to  have  no  further  communi- 
cation with  you. 

"Henry  G.  Welford." 


"  Upon  —  my — word !"  exclaimed  Chap.  "  A 
pretty  gentleman !  No  '  Yours  truly,'  or  even 
'  Yours  respectfully  !'  I  tell  you  what  it  is,  Phil, 
I  always  believed  that  that  Welford  ought  to  have 
been  put  down  in  the  beginning.  What  he  wanted 
was  the  iron  heel.  It  mightn't  have  seemed  to 
work  at  first,  but  he'd  have  crumbled  before  long. 
Look  at  Susan !" 

"I  think  the  letter  is  perfectly  shameful," 
said  Helen,  disregarding  her  brother's  remarks. 
"  What  dreadful  stories  that  French  boy  must 
have  told !" 

"  Indeed,  he  did,"  said  Phil,  warmly.  "  I  never 
tried  to  shoot  him  at  all.  I  only  took  the  gun 
from  Susan,  and  I  did  not  even  raise  it.  If  he 
hadn't  been  such  a  coward  he'd  have  seen  that." 

"  I  wish  I  hadn't  licked  him,"  said  Phoenix. 
"  I  didn't  think  he'd  cut  up  as  rough  as  this." 

"  Phil,"  cried  Chap,  extending  his  right  arm,  as 
if  he  were  addressing  an  audience,  "  if  I  were  you 


J  54     THE   YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL 

I  tell  you  what  I'd  do.  I'd  just  go  to  this  Welford 
and  tell  him  that  what  Touron  said  was  a  lie  from 
beginning  to  end " 

"  But  it  wasn't,"  interrupted  Phoenix. 

"  I'd  tell  him,"  continued  Chap,  "  that  I  hadn't 
had  the  slightest  idea  of  shooting  him,  for  the 
stairs  are  so  long  I  could  easily  have  popped  him 
before  he  got  to  the  top  if  I  had  wanted  to,  and 
that  I  hadn't  anything  to  do  with  beating  him,  but 
that  he  deserved  all  he  got,  and  that  if  my  friend, 
Mr.  Phoenix  Poole,  hadn't  thrashed  him,  I'd  have 
done  it  myself.  And  if  you  don't  like  to  go  and 
say  all  that,  I'll  go  and  say  it  for  you." 

"  Now,  Chap,"  cried  Helen,  "  don't  you  be  put- 
ting any  such  ideas  into  Phil's  head,  and  don't 
you  go  near  Mr.  Welford  yourself.  You  will  only 
make  matters  worse." 

"  And  I  am  not  going,  either,"  said  Phil.  "  I 
should  be  sure  to  say  something  I  ought  not  to. 
I  think  he  has  treated  me  outrageously  !" 

"  It  is  the  crudest  thing  I  ever  heard  of,"  said 
Helen.  "  He  ought  not  to  believe  what  the  French 
boy  said  without  hearing  your  side.  But  you  are 
right  in  not  going  to  see  him  now.  It  would  only 
make  a  dreadful  quarrel." 

"  But  I  shall  answer  his  letter,"  said  Phil,  "  and 
tell  him  what  I  think  of  it." 

"  Please  don't,"  said  Helen,  rising  up  and  coming 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL     155 

up  to  Phil, — "  not  while  you  are  so  angry.  If  Mr. 
Welford  knew  just  how  things  were,  he'd  think 
very  differently.  But  it  won't  do  any  good  to 
make  him  madder.  Don't  one  of  you  boys  do  a 
single  thing  till  I  have  seen  mother  and  told  her 
all  about  it.  She  used  to  know  Mr.  Welford  very 
well,  and  she'll  tell  us  what  ought  to  be  done. 
And  now,  if  there  isn't  anything  I  can  do  for  you, 
it  is  time  for  me  to  go.  Mother  said  Chap  could 
stay  with  you  if  you  really  wanted  him,  and  I 
don't  believe  there  will  be  any  trouble  about  your 
not  having  things  to  eat.  There's  always  lots  of 
things  on  a  place  like  this,  and  Chap  isn't  particu- 
lar, and  mother  will  send  some  pies,  and  anything 
else  you  don't  happen  to  have." 

"  Good !"  cried  Chap.  "  Just  you  tell  mother 
that  this  garrison  is  greatly  in  need  of  pies,  and 
one  of  those  rolled-up  blackberry  puddings  would 
make  us  hold  out  splendidly.  Do  you  want  me 
to  go  home  with  you  ?" 

"  No,"  said  Helen ;  "  I'm  going  to  take  the 
straight  path  across  the  fields.     Good-by  !" 


I  l/lflhif/itiSh 

w 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 


TOURON    IN    THE   FIELD. 


About  ten  o'clock  the  next  morning  a  high, 
old-fashioned  carriage,  swung  on  straps  like  a 
stage-coach,  and  with  a  little  seat  near  the  roof  for 
the  driver,  was  being  slowly  drawn  into  Boontown. 
It  had  been  originally  intended  for  two  horses, 
but  on  this  day  only  one  horse  could  be  spared, 
and  his  driver,  an  elderly  colored  man,  allowed 
him  to  jog  along  at  a  very  easy  gait.  Inside  the 
coach  might  be  seen  a  very  pretty  but  a  very 
anxious  face,  and  this  belonged  to  Helen  Webster. 

The  queer  old  vehicle  was  the  Webster  family 
carriage,  and  in  it  Helen  was  going  to  see  Mr. 
Welford.  She  had  talked  to  her  mother  about 
Phil's  troubles,  and  Mrs.  Webster  became  so  much 
interested  in  the  subject,  that  if  she  had  not  had 
a  great  many  things  to  attend  to  at  home  that  she 

156 


THE   YOUNG   MASTER   OF   HYSON   HALL     157 

could  not  very  well  leave,  she  would  have  gone  to 
town  to  see  Mr.  Welford  herself. 

It  would  have  been  of  no  use  to  speak  to  Mr. 
Webster  about  the  matter,  because  he  was  a  quiet 
and  rather  timorous  man,  who  avoided  all  disputes 
and  dissensions  by  never  taking  anybody's  part, 
and  never  quarrelling  himself.  Nothing  annoyed 
him  so  much  as  being  consulted  in  regard  to 
trouble  between  neighbors,  and  so,  in  this  case, 
he  was  not  consulted. 

After  much  talking,  Mrs.  Webster  declared  that 
she  did  not  see  why  Helen  could  not  go  and  talk 
to  Mr.  Welford,  because  she,  her  mother,  could 
tell  her  exactly  what  she  ought  to  say,  and  it 
would  be  the  same  thing  as  if  she  went  there  and 
said  it  herself. 

Helen  did  not  like  this  plan,  for  she  was  afraid 
of  Mr.  Welford,  but  she  consented  to  go,  for  Phil 
must  certainly  be  set  right,  and  there  seemed  to 
be  no  one  to  do  it  but  herself.  So  off  she  started 
this  morning  in  the  carriage,  her  mother  having 
previously  spent  an  hour  in  telling  her  exactly 
what  she  ought  to  say. 

The  nearer  she  came  to  town  the  slower  she 
wished  the  horse  would  go.  If  Mr.  Welford's 
office  had  been  five  miles  the  other  side  of  Boon- 
town,  she  would  have  been  very  glad.  She  tried 
her  best  to  put  what  her  mother  had  told  her  in 


158     THE   YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

proper  order  in  her  mind,  but,  somehow,  the 
various  instructions  became  strangely  jumbled  up, 
the  old  coach  jarred  and  jolted  so  much  with  only- 
one  person  in  it,  that  when  she  reached  Mr.  Wel- 
ford's  office,  she  did  not  feel  at  all  ready  to  lay  her 
business  before  him. 

At  first  she  thought  of  telling  old  William  to 
drive  round  several  blocks,  but  this  she  knew 
would  be  ridiculous.  She  hoped  Mr.  Welford  was 
not  in  ;  indeed,  she  felt  quite  encouraged  when  she 
thought  that  at  this  time  of  day  he  might  probably 
be  out  attending  to  business.  But  the  young  man 
at  the  table  in  the  front  room  told  her  Mr.  Wel- 
ford was  in,  and  she  was  shown  into  that  gentle- 
man's private  office.  Mr.  Welford  greeted  her 
kindly,  but  evidently  did  not  recognize  her. 

"  You  don't  remember  me,"  she  said,  in  rather 
a  low  voice.     "  I  am  Helen  Webster." 

"  Indeed  !"  said  Mr.  Welford.  "  I  didn't  know 
you.  I  have  not  seen  you  since  you  were  a  very 
little  girl." 

Then  he  shook  hands  with  her,  offered  her  a 
seat,  and  asked  her  questions  about  her  father  and 
mother.  After  these  had  been  answered,  there  was  a 
pause,  and  then  Helen  thought  it  was  time  to  state 
her  business,  but  she  could  not,  for  the  life  of  her, 
remember  how  her  mother  had  told  her  to  begin. 

"  I  came  to  talk  to  you  about  PhilijD  Berkeley," 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     159 

she  said,  after  she  had  remained  quiet  for  a  time 
that  to  her  seemed  dreadfully  long. 

"  That  boy  at  Hyson  Hall  ?"  asked  Mr.  Wel- 
ford,  quickly. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  said  Helen. 

Mr.  Welford's  face  grew  very  dark. 

"  Never  in  all  my  life,"  he  said,  "  did  I  hear 
of  a  boy  who  gave  so  much  trouble  in  so  short  a 
time  as  this  Philip  Berkeley !  Scarcely  has  his 
uncle  left  him  to  himself  when  he  begins  a  career 
of  horse-racing  and  general  mad-cap  behavior, 
actually  taking  possession  of  people's  hats,  and 
hanging  them  up  in  grocery  stores  to  be  called 
for  ;  then  he  comes  to  me  with  a  likely  story  of 
having  quarrelled  with  one  of  his  servants,  and 
needing  hundreds  of  dollars  to  pay  her  off  and 
discharge  her,  and  as  soon  as  he  finds  he  can't  get 
the  money  he  tells  me  the  quarrel  is  at  an  end ;  he 
then  actually  attempts  to  kill  a  young  man  stay- 
ing in  his  house,  and,  failing  in  this,  causes  his 
visitor  to  be  dreadfully  beaten  by  one  of  his  asso- 
ciates. I  did  not  intend  to  say  so  much  about  him, 
but  the  very  thought  of  the  young  rascal  makes 
me  indignant.  And  now,  what  has  be  been  doing 
to  you,  or  your  family  ?  I  suspected  that  it  would 
not  be  long  before  we  should  hear  complaints  from 
some  of  his  neighbors." 

Helen  spraug  to  her  feet,  pushed  back  her  chair, 


160     THE   YOUNG  MASTER   OF  HYSON  HALL. 

and  stood  up  in  front  of  Mr.  Welford.  She  did 
not  now  remember  a  word  her  mother  had  told  her 
to  say,  nor  did  she  care  to.  Her  eyes  sparkled, 
her  face  was  flushed,  and  words  came  to  her  almost 
faster  than  she  could  utter  them. 

"  Doing  to  us  !"  she  exclaimed.  "  He  never  did 
anything  to  us  that  wasn't  as  good  and  kind  as  it 
could  be, — and  to  everybody  else,  too,  for  that 
matter.  And  that  is  just  what  mother  sent  me  to 
tell  you.  She  would  have  come  herself,  but  she 
couldn't ;  and  she  thinks  it's  a  shame !  And  we  all 
think  it's  a  shame  that  a  boy  like  Philip  Berke- 
ley, who  is  all  the  time  trying  to  do  the  best  he 
can,  and  who  has  ever  so  many  dreadful  things  to 
contend  with,  should  get  such  a  letter  as  the  one 
you  wrote  to  him.  Everything  that  French  boy 
told  you  was  a  falsehood,  and  he  knew  it ;  and  all 
that  Phil  told  you  was  true  about  the  housekeeper 
and  her  money  and  all.  My  brother  Chap,  who 
is  with  him  all  the  time,  and  knows  everything  he 
does,  has  told  me  all  about  everything  from  begin- 
ning to  end.  And  he  never  ran  away  with  any- 
body's hat,  except  by  accident." 

And  then  Helen,  who  had  waxed  as  warm  and 
eloquent  as  if  she  had  been  her  own  brother  Chap, 
gave  Mr.  Welford  a  detailed  account  of  the  actual 
facts  in  connection  with  the  matters  that  had  ex- 
cited his  indignation. 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     161 

She  put  the  cases  so  clearly  and  strongly  before 
him,  and  with  such  an  earnestness  and  evident 
interest  in  the  subject,  that  at  last  Mr.  Welford 
could  not  help  smiling. 

"As  far  as  young  Berkeley  is  concerned,"  he 
said,  "it  is  just  as  well,  perhaps,  that  your  mother 
did  not  come,  for  I  don't  believe  she  would  have 
advocated  his  cause  half  so  warmly  as  you  have. 
If  what  you  say  is  correct " 

"  And  it  is,  every  word  of  it,"  said  Helen.  "  I 
wouldn't  come  here  to  tell  you  things  that  were 
not  true,  sir  !" 

"  Oh,  of  course !"  said  Mr.  Welford.  "  I  under- 
stand that  perfectly.  I  meant  to  say  if  you  are 
correctly  informed." 

"  My  own  brother  told  me,"  said  Helen.  "  And 
as  to  the  letter,  Phil  read  that  to  me  himself. 
There  could  be  no  mistake  about  that." 

"  You  seem  to  think  my  letter  the  worst  part  of 
the  whole  proceeding,"  said  Mr.  Welford. 

"  Of  course,  I  do,  sir !"  said  Helen.  "  And  we 
all  do, — that  and  the  French  boy's  story." 

"  Well,"  said  Mr.  Welford,  "  you  appear  to  be 
turning  the  tables  pretty  completely.  The  ac- 
counts I  received  regarding  Philip  Berkeley  were 
so  straightforward,  and  apparently  so  well  based 
upon  fact,  that  I  could  not  help  believing  them, 

especially  when  I  remembered  what  I  knew  about 

11 


162     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

him  myself.  But,  after  what  you  have  said,  I  will 
carefully  investigate  each  one  of  these  charges, 
and  if  I  find  I  have  been  mistaken  I  will  say  so. 
Will  that  be  satisfactory  to  you  and  to  your  mother, 
and  to  the  rest  of  the  family  ?" 

"Oh,  yes,  sir!"  said  Helen.  "And  the  reason 
why  I  came  instead  of  one  of  the  boys  was  that 
Phil  and  Chap  are  so  angry  there  is  no  knowing 
what  they  would  have  said.  And  as  to  Phoenix 
Poole,  he  is  so  good  and  quiet,  and  always  behaves 
so  well,  that  when  he  does  get  roused  up  he  is  per- 
fectly terrible.  That  is  the  way  he  came  to  thrash 
the  French  boy." 

"  I  am  glad  he  did  not  come,"  said  Mr.  Welford. 
"  I  would  much  rather  have  had  you  than  any  of 
them.  And  now,  good-by  !  I  will  give  attention 
to  all  you  have  told  me." 

As  Helen  drove  away,  and  thought  of  all  she 
had  said  to  Mr.  Welford,  and  how  she  had  stood 
up  and  talked  to  that  respectable  and  dignified 
gentleman,  just  as  if  he  had  been  a  boy  or  a  girl 
of  her  own  age,  she  covered  her  face  with  her 
hands  and  cried  all  the  way  home. 

That  day  was  a  busy  one  at  Hyson  Hall.  Early 
in  the  morning  Joel  announced  to  Phil  that  the 
wheat  crop  was  ready  to  be  harvested,  and  that 
hands  must  be  engaged  for  the  work.  To  Phil's 
statement  that  there  was  no  money  to  pay  these 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     163 

hands,  Joel  simply  answered  that  the  crop  must 
be  got  in,  no  matter  what  happened ;  and,  if  there 
was  no  money,  some  wheat  would  have  to  be 
threshed  out  and  sold  to  pay  the  men.  He  ad- 
mitted that  this  was  a  poor  way  of  doing  business, 
for  wheat  would  bring  a  low  price  at  this  season, 
but,  then,  Mr.  Godfrey  might  be  back  before  the 
work  was  done  and  everything  would  be  all  right. 
It  was,  therefore,  agreed  that  Joel  should  start 
early  the  next  day  to  look  up  hands. 

Preparations  for  the  harvest  occupied  Phil  and 
Joel  all  day.  Phcenix  was  not  there,  and  Chap 
was  left  much  to  himself.  He  had  come  to  the 
conclusion  that  the  state  of  affairs  on  this  place 
demanded  that  the  man  with  the  black  straw  hat 
should  come  to  the  front. 

To  be  sure,  that  individual  had  requested  to  be 
summoned  only  upon  Mr.  Godfrey  Berkeley's 
return  ;  but  Chap  thought  if  he  could  do  any 
good  he  ought  to  come  now.  If  he  had  any  plan 
about  getting  the  treasure  out  of  that  wreck,  this 
was  the  time  for  him  to  go  to  work  to  do  it ;  or  it 
might  be  that  he  could  make  statements  that 
would  enable  them  to  raise  money,  not  only  for 
wrecking  purposes,  but  for  the  general  needs  of 
the  estate. 

So  he  took  from  his  pocket  the  postal  card  that 
the  man  had  given  him — which  by  this  time  had 


164     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

become  pretty  well  rumpled  and  a  little  dirty — 
and  prepared  to  write  a  note  on  it.  The  card  was 
addressed  to  "  Mr.  Alexander  Muller,  340  Sixth 
Avenue,  New  York." 

Chap  had  an  idea  that  this  message  should  be 
something  like  a  telegram, — very  compact  and  to 
the  point, — a  message  which  the  person  receiving 
it  should  understand,  and  no  one  else.  So,  after  a 
good  deal  of  thought  and  study,  he  produced  the 
following : 

"  Personage  you  were  on  truck  of  not  arrived.  Your  im- 
mediate presence  demanded.  If  necessary,  order  batteries 
sent.     Additional  reasons  for  secrecy  and  despatch. 

«  Ch n  W R." 

When  this  was  done,  Chap  took  it  to  town  and 
mailed  it,  walking  all  the  way  there  and  back. 

The  next  morning,  after  breakfast,  a  boy  ap- 
peared on  the  porch  with  a  note  for  Phil.  When 
the  latter  opened  and  read  it  he  gave  a  great 
shout. 

"  Hello,  Chap  !"  he  cried,  "  it's  from  uncle !" 

Chap  seized  the  paper  held  out  to  him  and 
read, — 

"  Dear  Phil, — Send  me  Old  Bruden  by  bearer. 

"  G.  B." 

"  That's  his  writing,"  said  Chap. 

"  Certainly  it  is  J"  cried  Phil,  in  a  high  state  of 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     165 

excitement.  "  Where  is  Mr.  Berkeley  ?"  lie  said 
to  the  boy. 

"  I  don't  know  anything  about  him,"  was  the 
answer.  "  A  man  gave  me  the  note,  and  told  me 
I  was  to  bring  a  gun  to  him,  and  he  would  give 
me  a  quarter." 

"  Where  is  the  man  ?"  asked  Phil. 

"  He's  down  on  the  road,  sitting  by  the  little 
bridge ;  but  he  said  if  anybody  came  with  me  he 
wouldn't  give  me  a  cent." 

"  Look  here,  Chap,"  cried  Phil,  "  if  uncle  is 
down  there  I'm  bound  to  see  him  and  tell  him 
what  is  going  on  here.  He  has  some  reason  for 
not  wanting  to  come  back  just  now,  but  he  don't 
know  what  a  dreadful  condition  things  are  in. 
Here  is  a  quarter,"  he  said  to  the  boy,  "  so  you 
won't  lose  anything.  Just  you  stay  here  a  few 
minutes.  I'll  cut  over  the  fields  to  the  bridge," 
he  said  to  Chap,  as  he  ran  down  the  steps. 

"  Aren't  you  going  to  take  him  the  gun  ?"  said 
Chap. 

"  No  !"  cried  Phil,  as  he  hurried  off.  "  When 
he  hears  what  I  have  to  tell  he  won't  want  to  go 
gunning." 

The  boy  now  started  to  go. 

"  Just  you  sit  down  and  rest  yourself,"  said 
Chap,  stepping  in  front  of  him. 

"  But  I'm  not  tired,"  said  the  boy. 


166     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

"  Well,  try  how  it  goes  to  rest  yourself  when 
you  are  not  tired,"  said  Chap.  "  It's  something 
you  ought  to  learn,  and  you  had  better  begin  now. 
There's  a  bench  behind  you." 

The  boy  reluctantly  sat  down,  and  Chap  stood 
guard  over  him,  determined  to  keep  him  there 
long  enough  to  prevent  him  from  giving  notice  to 
the  man  at  the  little  bridge  that  Phil  was  coming. 


CHAPTER    XIX. 


PHIL    AND    CHAP    START    ON    AN    EXPEDITION. 


When  Phil  left  the  house,  after  receiving  the 
note  from  his  uncle,  he  ran  down  past  the  barn, 
climbed  two  fences,  and  hurried  over  the  fields  to 
a  little  stream,  which  ran  through  the  Hyson  Hall 
property  and  then  crossed  the  public  road. 

There  was  a  bridge  here,  which  was  a  favorite 
resting-place  for  foot-travellers  in  summer-time. 
The  spot  was  shaded  by  a  large  tree,  and  there 
were  some  grassy  banks,  which  were  very  pleas- 
ant to  sit  upon. 

Here  it  was  that  the  person  who  sent  the  note 
to  Hyson  Hall  was  to  wait  for  Old  Bruden  to  be 
brought  to  him  ;  but  when  Philip  reached  the  spot 
he  could  see  no  one.  He  looked  on  both  sides  of 
the  bridge  and  even  under  it ;  he  looked  up  the 
road,  he  looked  down  the  road  ;  he  stood  up  on  the 
fence,  and  gazed  far  over  the  fields  in  every  direc- 

167 


168     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL 

tion,  but  no  person  could  lie  see.  He  shouted  at  the 
top  of  his  voice,  calling  out  his  uncle's  name,  utter- 
ing whoops  and  yells  that  could  be  heard  for  a  con- 
siderable distance.  He  ran  down  the  road  for  a 
quarter  of  a  mile,  then  climbed  a  fence  again,  but 
not  a  human  being  was  in  sight.  In  about  half  an 
hour  he  hastily  returned. 

"  Chap,"  said  he,  "  is  that  boy  gone?" 

"  Yes,"  answered  Chap.  "  I  let  him  go  after  I 
had  given  you  plenty  of  time  to  get  to  the  bridge. 
He  said  he  came  from  town,  and  was  in  an  awful 
hurry  to  get  back.  I  made  him  go  by  the  path 
along  the  river,  so  that  I'd  be  sure  he  wouldn't 
interfere  with  you.     Did  you  see  your  uncle  ?" 

"  No,"  replied  Phil.  "  Did  the  boy  say  any- 
thing about  the  person  who  sent  him  with  the  note, 
— what  kind  of  man  he  was  ?" 

"No,"  said  Chap,  "he  didn't  say  anything 
about  him." 

"  I'm  sorry  for  that.  I  thought  you'd  ask  him 
a  lot  of  questions,  and  find  out  if  it  really  was 
uncle  who  sent  him." 

"  It's  a  pity,"  said  Chap,  "  but  I  never  thought 
of  it.  I  was  giving  the  boy  a  lecture  about  the 
folly  of  being  in  a  hurry  when  he  ought  to  keep 
quiet,  and  getting  himself  into  a  stew  when  there 
was  no  occasion  for  it." 

"  Chap,"  exclaimed  Phil,  "  if  that  was  uncle,  we 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     169 

are  bound  to  find  him  !  He  must  be  still  in  this 
neighborhood,  and  we  must  scour  the  whole  coun- 
try. I  expect  he's  going  off  again  on  some  sport- 
ing expedition,  and  just  came  back  to  get  the 
gun." 

"And  he  didn't  want  to  be  interfered  with," 
said  Chap,  "  or  to  have  anybody  ask  to  go  along." 

"  That  may  be,"  said  Phil ;  "  but  why  he  didn't 
wait  till  Old  Bruden  was  brought  to  him  I  can't 
imagine.  But  we  must  set  out  and  hunt  him  up. 
He's  got  a  good  start  of  us,  but  we'll  take  the 
horses,  and  we  shall  be  sure  to  catch  up  with  him. 
I'm  pretty  certain  he  is  on  foot,  from  what  the  boy 
said." 

"  All  right !"  cried  Chap,  with  great  animation  ; 
"  I'm  ready !" 

"  We  must  both  of  us  go,"  said  Phil,  "  because 
it  may  be  necessary  to  head  him  off.  When  he 
makes  up  his  mind  to  do  a  thing,  he  is  not  going 
to  let  anybody  stop  him  if  he  can  help  it.  If  he 
sees  us,  he'll  be  sure  to  get  away  if  he  can." 

"  What  horses  are  we  going  to  ride  ?"  asked 
Chap. 

"  I'll  take  Jouncer,  and  you  can  ride  Kit.  As 
soon  as  I  have  spoken  to  Susan  we  will  run  out  to 
the  field  and  catch  him." 

Susan  was  not  altogether  pleased  when  Phil  told 
her  what  he  and  Chap  were  going  to  do,  and  asked 


170     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

her  to  put  up  a  couple  of  luncheons  which  they 
could  slip  in  their  pockets,  as  they  might  not  get 
back  until  afternoon. 

If  Joel  had  been  at  home,  all  this  would  have 
made  no  difference  to  Susan,  but  she  did  not  like 
the  idea  of  being  left  without  a  man  or  boy  upon 
the  place.  But  it  was  of  no  use  to  object,  and  she 
was  really  as  anxious  as  any  one  else  to  have  Mr. 
Berkeley  found. 

It  took  the  boys  a  good  while  to  catch  Kit,  for 
he  had  been  so  long  in  the  pasture  that  he  had 
become  wild,  but  at  last  they  cornered  him  and 
brought  him  up  to  the  barn. 

Jouncer  and  he  were  quickly  saddled  and  bri- 
dled, and  then  Phil  ran  back  to  the  house.  He 
soon  returned,  bringing  the  packages  of  luncheon, 
and  carrying  Old  Bruden,  with  a  shot-pouch  and 
powder-flask. 

"  I  brought  the  gun,"  he  said,  "  for  if  uncle  sent 
for  it  I  suppose  he  ought  to  have  it,  though  I  know 
he  won't  need  it.  But  he  likes  to  have  his  orders 
obeyed." 

"  That  ought  to  be  done,"  said  Chap,  as  they 
rode  away,  "  especially  in  war-times  like  these.  It 
might  have  been  better  to  let  the  boy  take  the  gun, 
and  then  scoot  after  him." 

"  Very  likely,"  said  Phil ;  "  but  there's  no  use 
talking  about  that  now." 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL     171 

"  No,"  added  Chap,  "  the  milk  has  soaked  into 
the  ground  out  of  sight." 

"  Susan  did  not  like  being  left  alone,"  said  Phil, 
"  but  I  told  her  we'd  stop  at  the  Poole  place  and 
ask  Phoenix  if  he  couldn't  go  over  as  soon  as  he 
got  through  with  his  day's  work.  Joel  is  away, 
and  we  may  not  be  back  till  dark,  you  know." 

"  That's  so,"  said  Chap,  straightening  himself 
up  ;  "  we  are  not  coming  back  without  Mr.  Berke- 
ley, dead  or  alive." 

Phoenix  was  not  at  home,  having  been  sent  to 
town  early  in  the  morning  with  the  spring-wagon. 
The  boys  rode  on  to  Boontown,  and  soon  found 
him  busily  attending  to  various  commissions. 

Phoenix  was  much  surprised  at  the  appearance 
of  his  friends,  especially  when  he  saw  them  both 
mounted  and  Phil  carrying  a  gun.  When  he 
heard  what  was  on  hand,  he  readily  agreed  to  go 
to  Hyson  Hall  as  soon  as  he  got  his  work  done. 

"  I  wish  I  wasn't  so  tremendously  busy,"  he 
said,  "  for  I'd  like  nothing  better  than  to  go  along 
with  you ;  but  all  I  can  do  is  to  be  over  at  your 
place  when  you  get  back  and  hear  the  news." 

Phil  then  went  to  nearly  every  place  in  town 
where  he  was  acquainted,  and  asked  if  Mr.  Berke- 
ley had  been  recently  seen  there. 

He  did  not  go  to  Mr.  Welford's  office,  not 
having  heard  of  Helen's  visit  to  that  gentleman  ; 


172     THE   YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

but  Chap  went  there  and  made  inquiries  of  the 
clerk.  But  no  one  had  seen  or  heard  of  Mr.  God- 
frey Berkeley. 

The  agent  at  the  railroad  station,  who  knew 
Mr.  Berkeley  very  well,  assured  Phil  that  he  had 
not  arrived  there  by  any  train,  nor  had  he  been 
there  at  all.  The  only  thing  they  heard  that 
seemed  anything  like  a  clue  to  Mr.  Berkeley's 
whereabouts  was  from  a  colored  woman,  whom 
Phil  knew,  who  lived  on  the  outskirts  of  the  town. 

She  had  seen  a  man,  that  morning,  cross  over 
the  fields  near  her  shanty,  and  get  over  a  fence 
into  a  road  which  ran  northward  from  the  town, 
and  in  an  almost  opposite  direction  from  Hyson 
Hall. 

This  man  had  something  on  his  back  which 
might  have  been  either  a  bundle  or  a  knapsack, 
but  she  did  not  take  any  particular  notice  of  him, 
and  had  not  the  slightest  idea  that  it  might  be  Mr. 
Godfrey  Berkeley.  If  she  had  thought  such  a 
thing  as  that,  she  would  have  sent  one  of  her  boys 
after  him  to  carry  his  bundle. 

"  I  shouldn't  wonder  at  all  if  that  was  uncle," 
said  Phil  to  Chap.  "  At  any  rate,  we  can't  do 
better  than  to  ride  along  this  road.  We  can 
surely  find  out  something  more  about  the  man 
before  long." 

Emile  Touron  was  boarding  at  a  small  tavern 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     173 

on  the  main  street  of  Boontown,  but  not  near  the 
centre  of  business.  It  was  a  pleasant,  shady  place, 
and  not  far  from  the  office  of  Mr.  Markle,  who  had 
the  Hyson  Hall  mortgage  business  in  hand,  and 
with  whom  young  Touron  consulted  a  great  deal 
more  than  that  gentleman  thought  necessary. 

After  breakfast,  that  morning,  Emile  had  been 
sitting  in  an  arm-chair  in  front  of  the  tavern,  when 
he  saw,  at  some  distance,  a  stout  boy  driving  a 
spring-wagon  into  town.  He  immediately  went 
up-stairs,  and  seated  himself  at  his  bedroom  win- 
dow, where,  sitting  a  little  back  with  the  curtains 
partly  drawn,  he  could  have  a  good  view  of  the 
street.  He  thought  he  would  prefer  to  sit  there 
and  see  Phoenix  as  he  drove  into  town.  Then 
when  Phoenix  had  passed,  Emile  thought  it  would 
be  a  good  thing  to  stay  in  his  room  and  get  another 
look  at  him  as  he  went  out  of  town ;  but  before 
this  latter  event  occurred,  Emile  was  very  much 
amazed  to  see  Chap  and  Phil  come  clattering  by, 
and  ride  up  into  the  town. 

"  Oho !"  he  thought, — but  it  must  be  remem- 
bered he  thought  in  French, — "  it  was  a  good  thing 
for  me  to  come  up  here.  And  so  they  are  all  in 
town,  eh  ?  They  must  be  going  off  on  some  ex- 
pedition, with  their  guns  and  ammunition.  This 
will  be  a  good  time  for  me  to  go  down  to  that  place 
and  see  how  things  are  going  on." 


174     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OE  HYSON  HALL 

Emile  now  quickly  prepared  to  make  a  visit  to 
Hyson  Hall,  but  he  did  not  go  this  time  in  the 
rickety  carriage  from  the  livery-stable.  He  had 
become  better  acquainted  with  the  resources  of  the 
town,  and  had  found  out  that  a  grocer,  a  few  doors 
from  the  tavern,  had  a  very  good  horse  and  buggy, 
which  he  occasionally  hired  out.  This  Emile  pro- 
cured, and  was  speedily  driving  towards  Hyson 
Hall. 


i     I''  '    \  : 

CHAPTER 


ZOSE    ANGEL    BELLS. 

As  soon  as  the  boys  had  departed,  Susan  went 
round  the  lower  part  of  the  house,  and  shut  and 
fastened  all  the  lower  doors  and  windows.  Then 
leaving  the  house  in  charge  of  Jenny,  with  injunc- 
tions to  that  young  person  to  lock  the  back  door 
after  her,  and  not  to  open  it  or  any  other  until  she 
returned,  the  vigilant  housekeeper  went  down  to 
the  barn,  locked  and  bolted  all  the  doors  there  and 
in  the  stables,  and  then  walked  over  to  the  little 
house  where  Joel's  mother  lived,  and,  finding  this 
old  woman  all  right,  she  came  back  to  the  house. 

About  an  hour  later,  she  sat  down  by  the  dining- 
room  window  to  rest  a  little  after  her  morning's 
work.  Her  reflections  were  not  very  pleasant,  for 
her  mind  was  much  troubled  by  the  present  state 
of  affairs.  She  knew  the  want  of  money,  and  the 
threatened  legal  proceedings,  and  she  was  afraid 
there  were  other  troubles  which  neither  she  nor 

175 


176    THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL 

Phil  knew  anything  about.  She  was  always  a 
loyal  woman  to  her  employers,  and  she  took  a  deep 
interest  in  this  family  and  its  prosperity,  but  she 
was  very  jealous  of  her  own  position  and  preroga- 
tives, and  it  had  been  a  hard  thing  for  her  to 
change  her  allegiance  from  Mr.  Godfrey  to  a  mere 
boy  like  Phil ;  but  in  a  moment  of  excitement  she 
had  done  it,  and  now  she  was  glad  of  it,  especially 
since  there  was  danger  of  another  boy  getting  at 
the  head  of  affairs. 

She  bitterly  hated  that  French  boy.  True,  she 
had  not  intended  he  should  be  killed  when  she 
gave  Phil  the  gun  at  the  time  of  the  quarrel,  and 
she  had  good  reasons  for  knowing  that  nothing  of 
the  kind  would  occur,  but  she  wanted  to  frighten 
Emile,  and  was  rejoiced  to  think  how  thoroughly 
she  had  succeeded.  It  would  be  a  dreadful  thing, 
she  thought,  for  this  estate  to  pass  into  the  hands 
of  those  French  people.  If  she  had  the  money, 
she  would  gladly  pay  the  interest  on  the  mortgage, 
or  whatever  was  necessary  to  save  the  property, 
and  would  have  been  certain  it  would  be  paid  back 
to  her. 

As  for  Mr.  Godfrey's  going  away  at  such  a  time, 
she  did  not  know  what  to  think  of  it.  She  had 
liked  him  very  much  ever  since  as  a  young  man  he 
used  to  come  to  visit  his  father.  She  believed 
him  to  be  just  and  honorable,  and  she  was  very 


THE  YOUNG   MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     177 

much  afraid  that  he  must  have  gone  crazy  before 
he  could  do  a  thing  like  this.  He  was  always 
a  very  queer  person,  not  at  all  like  other  people. 

These  rather  doleful  thoughts  were  interrupted 
by  the  sound  of  wheels,  and  looking  through  the 
half-open  Venetian  shutters,  she  saw  the  grocer's 
buggy  approaching.  When  she  recognized  Emile 
as  the  driver,  her  heart  fell  within  her. 

"  Why  on  earth  should  he  come  here  ?"  she  ex- 
claimed,— "  especially  to-day." 

She  did  not  go  to  the  front  door  to  receive  him, 
but  stayed  where  she  was. 

In  a  few  moments  the  voice  of  Emile  was  heard 
outside,  loudly  calling  for  some  one  to  take  his 
horse,  but  Susan  did  not  move. 

The  calling  continued,  louder  and  more  peremp- 
tory, and  at  last  Jenny  came  up-stairs  to  know  if 
she  should  go  to  the  door. 

"  No,"  said  Susan. 

But,  as  the  shouting  went  on,  the  housekeeper 
presently  said,  with  a  sigh, — 

"  Well,  I  suppose  the  rascal  won't  go  away  until 
he  has  seen  some  one,  so  you  may  go  out,  Jenny, 
and  tell  him  that  there  is  no  one  at  home.  Per- 
haps that  will  satisfy  him." 

Jenny  went  out,  and  was  met  by  a  volley  of  abuse 

from  Emile,  but  this  made  little  impression  upon 

her. 

12 


178     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL 

"  There's  no  one  at  home,"  she  said,  "  so  you'll 
have  to  come  again." 

"  When  will  zey  be  back  ?"  quickly  asked  Emile. 

"I  don't  know  when  Mr.  Godfrey  will  be  back, — 
probably  not  for  a  long  time,"  said  Jenny.  "  And 
Mr.  Phil  and  Chap  Webster  don't  expect  to  come 
home  until  after  night." 

"  All  right,"  said  Emile.  "  I  want  somebody 
to  take  my  horse." 

"  There  isn't  anybody  here  to  do  it,"  said  Jenny. 
"  Joel  is  away  getting  men  for  harvest." 

Emile  smiled. 

"  If  zat  is  so,"  he  said,  "  I  will  tie  him  to  zis 
post,  and  after  a  while  I  will  take  him  to  ze  barn 
myself." 

He  fastened  the  horse  to  a  hitching-post,  and 
then  quickly  passing  Jenny,  who  had  been  gravely 
watching  him,  he  ran  up  the  porch  stej>s  and  en- 
tered the  half-open  front  door. 

Here  he  wTas  met  by  Susan,  who  would  have 
shut  the  door  in  his  face  if  she  had  reached  it  soon 
enough,  and  who  confronted  him  with  a  counte- 
nance that  plainly  enough  expressed  the  ques- 
tion,— 

"  What  do  you  want  here  ?" 

The  moment  Emile  saw  her,  his  eyes  sparkled 
with  rage. 

"  Aha !"  he  cried,  "  you  is  ze  vile  woman  who 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     179 

would  have  me  killed !  Now  let  me  tell  you  zis : 
When,  in  two  or  tree  days  I  am  master  of  zis  house, 
I  will  drive  you  out,  and  I  will  have  you  put  in  ze 
prison.  And  now  get  out  of  my  way  ;  I  want  to 
look  at  my  house." 

"  Oh,"  thought  Susan  to  herself,  as  she  clinched 
her  hands,  "if  Mr.  Godfrey  only  kept  a  watch- 
dog !  but  he  never  would  do  it." 

Emile  stepped  to  the  parlor  doors  and  threw 
them  wide  open. 

"  Open  zose  windows  !"  he  cried.  "  Why  you 
keep  it  so  dark  here?" 

"  I'll  do  nothing  of  the  kind,"  said  Susan. 

"  Zen  I'll  do  it  myself,"  said  Emile. 

He  oj)ened  all  the  parlor  shutters,  and  then 
walked  around  the  room,  scrutinizing  the  furni- 
ture, pictures,  and  ornaments  in  a  way  he  had 
never  done  before. 

Susan  could  do  nothing  to  prevent  him.  She 
could  only  look  on  and  grind  her  teeth. 

When  Emile  came  out  of  the  parlor,  he  went 
into  the  dining-room. 

"  When  Mr.  Berkeley  comes  home,"  said  Susan, 
"  I  will  tell  him  of  this,  and  he  will  have  you 
punished.  You  will  not  be  allowed  in  this  coun- 
try to  walk  into  people's  houses  and  act  in  this 
way." 

"  Humph !"    said  Emile,  shrugging  his  shoul- 


180     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL 

ders ;  "  when  your  Mr.  Berkeley  comes  home,  he 
will  have  no  home." 

Presently  a  happy  idea  seemed  to  strike  the 
French  boy.  Coining  to  the  hall,  where  Susan 
still  stood,  he  said  to  her, — 

"  Where  are  zose  bells  zat  used  to  dingle-dangle 
on  zis  house  ?" 

"  It's  none  of  your  business  where  they  are," 
said  Susan,  shortly. 

"  Look  you  here,"  said  Emile,  stepping  closer 
to  her,  with  his  face  turning  very  dark,  "  you  tell 
me  where  are  zose  bells,  or  I  will  make  you  do 
it." 

It  was  not  easy  to  frighten  Susan,  but  she  may 
have  thought  this  French  fellow  capable  of  any 
crime.  After  a  moment's  reflection,  she  went  into 
the  dining-room  and  got  a  key.  Then,  saying  to 
Emile,  "  If  you  must  see  everything,  I  suppose 
you  must,"  she  led  the  way  up-stairs.  Opening 
the  door  of  a  large  room  at  the  very  top  of  the 
house,  she  pointed  to  a  row  of  greenish  metal  bells, 
which  stood  on  the  floor  by  one  of  the  walls. 

"  Now  you've  seen  them,"  she  said,  "  I  hope  you 
are  satisfied." 

"  No,  I  am  not,"  said  Emile.  "  How  do  you  get 
out  on  zis  roof?" 

"  There's  a  trap-door  over  there,"  said  Susan, 
"  at  the  top  of  that  flight  of  steps." 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     181 

Emile  went  up  the  steps,  and  opened  the  door. 
Then  he  came  back. 

"  I  am  going:  to  hang;  some  of  zose  bells  on  ze 
roof,"  he  said.    "  I  see  ze  little  posts  are  zere  yet." 

"  Mr.  Berkeley  will  not  allow  that ;  he  took 
them  down  himself,"  said  Susan. 

"  Zat  makes  no  difference  to  me,"  remarked 
Emile.     "  I  s'all  hear  zose  angel  bells  again." 

And,  picking  up  one  of  the  bells,  which,  though 
large,  was  not  very  heavy,  he  carried  it  up  the 
steps. 

"  All  right,"  thought  Susan,  "  you  can  hang 
yourself  up  there,  if  you  like." 

Then,  going  out  of  the  room  door,  she  locked  it, 
put  the  key  in  her  pocket,  and  went  down-stairs. 

"  Now,"  said  she  to  Jenny,  who  had  been  left  on 
guard  below,  "  I  have  locked  that  young  rascal  in 
the  cockloft,  and  I  intend  to  keep  him  there  till 
Joel,  or  some  one  of  the  others,  comes  home.  You 
heard  him  threaten  me,  and  I'm  sure  there's  no 
law  against  my  keeping  him  shut  up  till  there's 
a  boy  or  a  man  about  the  house.  I  know  he  is 
none  too  good  to  take  something,  and  carry  it 
away  with  him." 

To  these  remarks  Jenny  assented  heartily,  being 
thankful  that  something  had  occurred  to  make 
Susan  forget  to  scold  her  for  having  allowed  the 
French  boy  to  come  in  at  the  front  door. 


182     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

As  the  housekeeper  went  about  her  work  she 
felt  pretty  well  satisfied  with  the  events  of  the 
morning.  She  hoped  that  the  boys  would  bring 
Mr.  Godfrey  back  with  them,  and  was  glad  to 
think  that  in  that  case  the  young  Frenchman 
would  be  on  hand  to  be  dealt  with  as  he  deserved. 

She  was  also  glad  that  Phil  had  taken  Old 
Bruden  to  Mr.  Godfrey.  Susan  was  not  a  su- 
perstitious woman  as  a  general  thing,  but  the  few 
notions  of  the  kind  she  had  were  strongly  rooted 
in  her  mind,  and  she  believed  that  Mr.  Berkeley 
would  be  more  completely  master  of  the  situation 
if  he  had  that  gun. 

Like  most  persons  who  hold  superstitious  ideas, 
she  had  but  slight  reasons  for  her  belief,  but  she 
knew  that  the  former  owners  of  the  gun  had  been 
masters  in  their  establishments  when  they  kept 
possession  of  it,  and  had  ceased  to  be  such  when 
they  let  it  go  from  them.  And  this,  she  believed, 
would  be  the  case  now.  Above  all  things,  she 
feared  to  have  the  gun  fall  into  the  hands  of  Emile 
Tour on. 

As  for  that  young  gentleman,  he  was  quite  busily 
employed  for  some  time  after  Susan  left  him.  He 
hung  the  bell  on  one  of  the  upright  projections 
which  were  ranged  along  the  four  sides  of  the  roof, 
and  which  had  been  originally  placed  there  to 
support  the  bells,  which  had  been  the  delight  of 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     183 

the  heart  of  the  old  tea-merchant,  Mr.  Godfrey's 
father.  These  bells  were  made  of  very  light  metal, 
so  that  they  would  easily  swing  in  the  wind,  and 
the  strong  breeze  which  was  blowing  made  this  one 
ring  quite  to  Emile's  satisfaction. 

But  one  bell  was  not  enough.  He  wanted  to 
hang  several  of  them,  and  then  go  below  to  listen 
to  the  effect.  Years  before,  he  had  been  greatly 
entertained  by  these  bells,  which  had  fixed  them- 
selves in  his  memory  as  the  principal  character- 
istic of  the  place,  and  he  was  anxious  to  enjoy 
again  the  pleasant  sensation. 

He  was  so  full  of  his  work  that,  when  he  went 
down-stairs  again,  he  did  not  notice  that  the  door 
of  the  loft  was  shut.  He  brought  up  two  bells  this 
time,  and  hung  them.  Two  or  three  more,  he 
thought,  would  be  enough,  and  then  he  would  go 
down  on  the  lawn  and  hear  them  ringing  in  the 
wind.  But,  descending  again,  he  noticed  the  closed 
door.  He  ran  to  it  and  tried  to  open  it,  but  it  was 
of  no  use.  He  rattled  the  door-handle,  he  shouted, 
he  kicked,  but  no  one  came. 

He  grew  very  angry  and  a  good  deal  frightened. 
He  had  never  imagined  that  the  woman  would 
serve  him  such  a  trick.  He  tried  to  break  the  lock 
or  force  the  door,  but  this  was  all  in  vain.  The 
doors  at  Hyson  Hall  were  very  heavy,  and  the 
locks  massive. 


184     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

Then  he  ran  out  on  the  roof  and  shouted,  hoping 
to  attract  the  attention  of  some  one  below.  But 
no  answer  came  to  him  except  the  jangling  of  the 
bells.  For  a  long,  long  time  Emile  stayed  up 
there,  sometimes  running  down  into  the  loft,  to  see 
if  the  door  had  been  opened,  and  then  returning 
to  the  freer  air  of  the  roof. 

Susan  paid  no  attention  to  his  shouts  or  noise, 
most  of  which  she  plainly  heard.  She  supposed 
he  might  be  hungry,  but  she  also  knew  he  was 
very  angry,  and  she  would  not  have  dared  to  open 
the  door  while  she  and  Jenny  were  by  themselves 
in  the  house. 

After  a  while,  Emile  became  tired  of  shouting 
and  kicking,  and  sat  down  on  the  parapet,  gazing 
around  in  the  hope  of  seeing  some  one  approaching. 

Looking  towards  the  river,  a  strange  object 
caught  his  eye.  It  was  the  remains  of  the  Thomas 
Wistar,  on  Spatterdock  Point. 

Instantly  the  idea  struck  him  that  this  was  the 
wreck  he  had  discovered  under  water,  and  which, 
in  some  way,  had  been  raised.  He  did  not  notice 
that  this  was  the  hull  of  a  steamboat,  for  it  lay  at 
quite  a  distance  from  the  house,  and  there  were 
trees  intervening,  and  he  did  not  imagine  that 
there  could  be  two  wrecks  on  the  same  property. 

It  is  true  that  Spatterdock  Point  was  some  dis- 
tance from  the  place  to  which  he  had  gone  with 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     185 

the  other  boys  to  look  for  the  sunken  treasure 
ship  ;  but  Emile  was  not  familiar  with  the  river- 
front, and  did  not  notice  this. 

He  had  heard  of  the  steamboat  on  fire  at  Boon- 
town,  but,  being  very  busy  with  his  lawyer  at  the 
time,  had  not  gone  to  see  it,  and  had  not  known  of 
its  floating  down  the  river. 

"  Those  vile  boys,"  he  thought,  as  he  sprang  to 
his  feet,  and  stood  with  clinched  hands  gazing  at  the 
unfortunate  Wistar.  "  They've  got  that  ship  out 
of  the  water,  and  have  carried  away  the  treasure. 
That  is  the  reason  they  went  to  town,  armed  to  the 
teeth.  They  have  stolen  my  money !  That  gold  was 
mine  !    Everything  on  this  place  belongs  to  me." 

It  may  be  remarked  that  Emile  always  seemed 
to  consider  that  when  the  mortgage  was  foreclosed 
the  estate  would  belong  to  him,  and  not  to  his 
father.  This  was  owing  to  his  egotistical  way  of 
thinking  about  things  in  which  he  was  in  any  way 
concerned. 

This  sight  of  the  wreck  of  the  Wistar  made  him 
more  angry  than  ever.  He  was  certain  that  the 
boys  had  carried  off  all  or  part  of  the  treasure  he 
had  been  told  about,  and  he  fairly  stormed  around 
the  flat  roof  as  he  thought  of  it. 

Once  he  saw  Jenny  below,  looking  up  at  him. 
He  leaned  over  the  parapet  and  yelled  at  her  to 
come  up  and  unlock  the  door,  but  she  only  smiled. 


186     THE  YOUNG  MASTEE  OF  HYSON  HALL 

Enraged,  he  seized  a  piece  of  plaster  and  threw  it 
at  her,  but  he  did  not  hit  her. 

Early  in  the  afternoon,  a  man  came  walking 
along  the  public  road  towards  the  little  bridge, 
which  has  been  spoken  of  before.  He  had  in  his 
hand  a  book,  which  he  was  reading  as  he  walked. 
Suddenly  he  stopped,  raised  his  head  and  listened. 
He  seemed  to  hear  something  which  surprised  him, 
and  the  longer  he  listened  the  more  surprised  he 
appeared. 

The  wind  was  blowing  from  the  direction  of 
Hyson  Hall,  and  on  the  breeze  there  came  the 
sound  of  tinkling  bells.  Presently  the  man  shut 
up  his  book,  put  it  in  his  pocket,  and,  getting  over 
the  fence  at  one  side  of  the  road,  he  ran  up  to  the 
top  of  a  little  hill,  from  which  he  could  get  a  view 
of  Hyson  Hall. 

He  had  strong  eyesight,  and  he  could  plainly 
see  several  bells  dangling  and  swinging  on  the  top 
of  the  house.  At  first  he  seemed  scarcely  able  to 
believe  his  eyes,  then  he  turned  a  little  pale,  and 
then  his  face  grew  dark. 

He  was  evidently  very  much  troubled.  As  a 
fresh  gust  of  wind  brought  the  sound  still  plainer 
to  his  ear,  he  turned  away  with  a  very  cold  and 
stern  countenance,  went  down  the  hill,  and,  getting 
over  the  fence,  walked  rapidly  along  the  road  in 
the  direction  from  which  he  had  just  come. 


-==3—— =%n£-wg5J2S^;Lz**s*a^« 


CHAPTER    XXL 


OX    SEPARATE    BOADS. 


About  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  Susan  went 
up  to  the  door  of  the  loft  and  unlocked  it. 

Emile  was  sitting  at  the  top  of  the  flight  of  steps 
that  led  to  the  roof,  and  immediately  ran  down 
towards  her.  Before  he  could  say  a  word  she 
called  out  to  him, — 

"  You  can  come  down  now.  Phoenix  Poole,  the 
boy  who  thrashed  you  the  other  day,  is  coming, 
and  he  will  be  in  the  house  in  a  minute.  You  can 
talk  to  him  till  Mr.  Philip  comes  back." 

Emile  rushed  past  her  without  a  word.  He 
dashed  down-stairs,  along  the  hall,  and  out  of  the 
front  door.  His  horse,  which  had  been  fed  and 
watered  by  Susan  and  Jenny,  was  still  standing 
by  the  post  where  he  had  hitched  him. 

Quickly  untying  him,  Emile  jumped  into  the 
buggy  and  drove  away.     The  horse,  who  for  a 

187 


188     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

long  time  had  been  impatient  to  go,  trotted  gayly, 
and  Emile,  who  was  much  more  impatient  than 
the  horse,  whipped  him  up  to  make  him  trot  still 
faster. 

When  Phil  and  Chap  left  the  cabin  of  the  negro 
woman,  who  had  seen  a  man  walking  northward 
along  the  road  which  passed  her  house,  they  rode 
for  some  time  before  they  heard  of  the  man  again. 
Then  they  met  a  boy  in  a  wagon,  who  said  he  had 
seen  such  a  man,  but  he  was  walking  in  the  field, 
and  he  had  not  taken  much  notice  of  him. 

There  were  few  houses  near  the  road,  but  before 
very  long  they  came  to  one  where  a  woman  was 
washing  clothes  in  a  side-yard.  She  said  she  had 
seen  a  man  pass  by,  but  she  wasn't  certain  whether 
he  had  a  bundle  or  not,  and  could  not  just  then 
remember  whether  it  was  this  morning  or  yester- 
day morning  that  she  saw  him.  She  had  been 
washing  both  mornings,  and  it  might  have  been 
the  day  before  that  he  passed. 

There  was  little  encouragement  in  this,  but  still 
the  boys  pushed  on,  fully  convinced  that  if  they 
found  Mr.  Berkeley  at  all,  it  would  be  by  using 
their  own  eyes,  and  not  those  of  other  people. 
There  was  a  probability  that  he  had  passed  along 
this  road,  and  on  this  they  must  act. 

A  little  before  noon  they  stopped  in  a  shady 
place  and  ate  their  luncheon,  while  their  horses 


THE  YOUNG   MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     189 

made  a  meal  from  the  grass  at  the  side  of  the  road. 
Starting  again,  after  the  animals  had  had  a  suffi- 
cient rest,  they  soon  reached  a  place  where  the 
road  forked. 

Phil  knew  this  part  of  the  country  pretty  well, 
having  ridden  over  it  with  his  uncle,  and  he  ex- 
plained to  Chap  that  the  roads,  which  separated 
here  to  go  around  an  extensive  piece  of  woodland, 
came  together  again  a  few  miles  above.  On  each 
branch-road  there  were  several  houses  where  in- 
quiry should  be  made.  He  therefore  proposed 
that  Chap  should  take  the  left-hand  road,  while 
he  took  the  one  to  the  right,  and  whoever  reached 
first  the  point  where  the  roads  joined  should  wait 
for  the  other.  This  was  agreed  to,  and  each  boy 
set  out  on  his  separate  way. 

Chap  made  several  inquiries,  without  result,  and 
after  a  time  he  came  to  a  barn  and  farm-yard  by 
the  roadside.  He  stopped,  and  was  just  about  to 
call  out  to  a  boy  in  the  barn,  when  he  suddenly 
opened  his  eyes  and  mouth  in  amazement. 

On  a  log  at  the  other  end  of  the  barn-yard  sat 
the  man  with  the  black  straw  hat.  He  was  talk- 
ing to  a  man  who  was  mending  a  horse-rake. 

Chap  jumped  from  Kit's  back,  tied  him  to  the 
fence,  and  ran  into  the  barn-yard. 

"  Hello !"  he  cried.  "  Who  on  earth  would  have 
expected  to  see  you  here  ?" 


190     THE   YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL 

Mr.  Alexander  Muller,  of  340  Sixth  Avenue, 
New  York,  turned  round  quickly  on  hearing 
Chap's  voice. 

"  Well !"  he  exclaimed,  rising  from  the  log ;  "  I 
certainly  did  not  expect  to  see  you,  either.  Did 
you  come  to  meet  me  ?" 

"  I  didn't  know  you  were  on  the  road,"  said 
Chap. 

"  I  expected  to  see  you  to-morrow,"  said  the 
other,  "  but  came  here  first  to  attend  to  some  busi- 
ness. By  the  way,  why  did  you  write  me  such  an 
astounding  note — and  on  a  postal-card,  too  ?" 

"  Why,  you  gave  me  the  card,"  Chap  said. 

"  Yes  ;  but  I  did  not  expect  anything  so  exceed- 
ingly confidential  and  startling  to  be  written  on 
it.  It  came  to  my  boarding-house  while  I  was 
away,  and  was  put  upon  the  dining-room  mantel- 
piece. I  am  sure  every  boarder  in  the  house  read 
it,  and  I  feel  that  I  have  since  been  looked  upon  as 
head  conspirator  in  some  terrible  plot.  What  on 
earth  did  you  mean  by  it  ?  I  could  not  suppose 
it  was  anything  important,  but  I  really  had  the 
curiosity,  as  I  was  coming  to  this  part  of  the  coun- 
try anyway,  to  go  to  you  and  see  what  it  was." 

The  man  who  had  been  mending  the  horse-rake 
having  gone  into  the  bam,  Chap  and  Mr.  Alexan- 
der Muller  seated  themselves  on  the  log,  and  the 
former  told  the  whole  story  of  the  trouble  about 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     191 

the  mortgage,  and  of  Mr.  Berkeley's  note,  and  of 
the  present  search  after  him. 

"  These  things  are  no  secret,"  said  Chap;  "  and, 
as  I  know  you  want  to  find  Mr.  Godfrey,  perhaps 
you  will  help  us.  And  if  you  can't  do  that  you 
may  be  of  good  in  some  other  ways.  For  money 
must  be  raised,  if  Mr.  Berkeley  isn't  found  soon, 
and  if  you  tell  what  you  know  about  the  treasure 
on  the  sunken  ship,  perhaps  some  one  will  advance 
some  funds." 

Mr.  Muller  smiled,  and  then  he  said, — 

"  I  wish  very  much  to  see  Mr.  Berkeley,  but, 
from  what  you  tell  me,  there  must  be  other  people 
who  wish  to  see  him  even  more  than  I  do.  I 
imagine  it  will  be  of  no  use  for  me  to  go  over  to 
his  place  just  now." 

"  It  might  be  of  a  great  deal  of  use,"  said  Chap, 
"  especially  if  you  would  see  the  lawyers  and  Mr. 
Welford,  and  tell  them  a  part,  at  least,  of  what  you 
know." 

Mr.  Muller  laughed  and  shook  his  head. 

"  I  shan't  open  my  business  before  any  of  those 
people,"  he  said.  "  You  will  understand  when  all 
is  revealed.  But  I  expect  to  be  in  this  part  of  the 
country  for  some  time,  and  if  I  get  on  Mr.  Berke- 
ley's track  I'll  help  to  find  him." 

"  That  would  be  capital,"  cried  Chap.  "  You 
must  be  good  at  that  sort  of  thing." 


192     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

"  Oh,  splendid  !"  said  Mr.  Muller. 

"  And  if  you  should  find  him,"  said  Chap, 
"don't  forget  to  tell  him  all  about  the  mortgage 
affair  ;  and  let  him  know  that  if  he  doesn't  hurry 
home  he  might  as  well  stay  away  altogether,  for 
everything  he  has  will  be  sold.  And  now  I  must 
get  on.     I've  been  here  too  long." 

Bidding  Mr.  Muller  a  hasty  good-by,  Chap 
mounted  Kit  and  rode  rapidly  away.  A  short 
distance  above  this  barn-yard  the  road  turned  to 
the  right  towards  the  main  road,  which  it  joined 
about  half  a  mile  away ;  but  it  also  branched  just 
here  a  little  to  the  left,  and  Chap,  who  was  riding 
very  fast,  and  Avhose  mind  was  full  of  the  interview 
with  the  man  with  the  black  straw  hat,  did  not  no- 
tice the  right-hand  turn,  but  kept  on  the  branch 
road  to  the  left,  which  led  down  into  a  wide  valley 
and  joined  the  main  road  at  last  three  miles  farther 
on.  Chap  made  no  more  stops  for  information,  and 
when,  after  a  hard  gallop,  he  reached  the  junction 
with  the  main  road,  he  thought  it  was  the  point  at 
which  he  had  agreed  to  meet  Phil,  although  it  was 
in  reality  several  miles  beyond. 

Phil,  on  his  road,  heard  nothing  of  any  solitary 
traveller,  and  he  became  convinced  that  unless 
Chap  had  found  some  clue,  the  sooner  they  re- 
traced their  steps  and  tried  some  other  track  the 
better. 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     193 

He  kept  on,  however,  to  the  point  of  meeting, 
and  was  not  surprised  at  not  seeing  Chap,  for  he 
expected  to  have  to  wait  for  him,  as  his  friend 
was  a  great  fellow  for  having  long  discourses  with 
people. 

The  road  here  was  bordered  on  both  sides  by 
thick  woods,  and  there  was  not  a  house  in  sight. 
Phil  had  learned  from  his  uncle  how  to  hobble  a 
horse,  which  he  now  proceeded  to  do,  and  allowed 
Jouncer  to  graze  on  the  plentiful  grass  by  the 
roadside. 

Then  he  thought  he  would  try  and  get  a  shot  at 
something  with  Old  Bruden.  He  was  sure  the 
gun  was  loaded,  although  he  had  forgotten  that 
fact  when  he  started  with  it  in  the  morning,  and 
it  would  be  a  good  thing  to  get  the  loads  out  of  it, 
which  might  as  well  be  done  by  shooting  some- 
thing as  in  any  other  way. 

Perha23S  he  could  get  a  crack  at  some  big  bird 
in  these  woods.  He  tried  both  barrels  with  the 
ramrod,  and  found  they  each  contained  a  very 
heavy  load.  He  had  forgotten  who  last  loaded  the 
gun,  but  supposed  it  was  some  of  Chap's  work, 
who  believed  in  plenty  of  powder  and  shot. 

He  then  put  on  a  couple  of  caps  and  strolled 
about  for  some  little  time,  but  found  nothing  to 
shoot  at.  Returning  to  the  junction,  he  leaned 
the  gun  against  a  tree  and  gazed  down  the  other 

13 


194     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL 

road,  hoping  to  see  Chap  coming.  Then,  as  he 
walked  about,  whistling,  his  attention  was  attracted 
by  an  apple  hanging  on  a  tree  near  the  road. 

Years  before,  there  had  been  a  house  in  the  little 
clearing  here,  and  there  were  a  few  old  apple-trees 
still  growing  about  the  spot. 

Phil  could  not  find  anything  to  throw  at  this 
apple,  which  looked  as  if  it  was  ripe  enough  for  a 
boy,  but  it  was  not  far  above  him,  and  might  be 
hooked  down.  He  thought  of  the  ramrod  of  the 
gun,  and  getting  it,  soon  jerked  the  apple  from  its 
twig. 

It  was  not  a  very  good  apple,  but  Phil  ate  it 
with  relish,  and  thought  he  would  very  much  like 
to  have  another.  There  was  no  more  fruit  on 
that  tree,  and  so,  ramrod  in  hand,  he  went  ram- 
bling about  looking  for  another  tree  and  another 
apple. 

When  Emile  Touron  left  Hyson  Hall,  there  was 
a  good  deal  remaining  of  the  long  summer  after- 
noon, and  as  he  knew  he  would  have  to  pay  for 
the  horse  for  the  whole  day,  he  determined  to  get 
all  the  good  out  of  him  that  he  could.  Besides, 
he  felt  too  angry  to  go  back  to  his  lodgings.  He 
would  rather  be  alone  and  have  a  horse  to  shout 
at  and  cut  with  a  whip.  As  for  eating,  he  had  for- 
gotten all  about  it. 

Instead,  therefore,  of  turning  into  town,  he  drove 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL     195 

along  the  road  which  led  to  the  north,  and  which 
Phil  and  Chap  had  taken  that  morning.  He  drove 
rapidly,  and  did  not  intend  to  return  to  town  until 
he  had  had  a  good  day's  use  of  the  horse. 


/i^Wf1 


CHAPTER    XXII. 


IN   WHICH  THERE  IS   A  GOOD   DEAL  OF  FAST  TRAV- 
ELLING. 

Meantime  Philip  was  wandering  about  the  edge 
of  the  woods,  with  a  ramrod  in  his  hand,  looking 
for  an  apple-tree. 

As  there  could  be  no  such  trees  in  the  woods 
except  those  that  had  been  planted  around  the 
house, — which  had  disappeared  so  long  ago  that 
even  the  clearing  in  which  it  had  stood  had 
grown  up, — it  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  Phil's 
search  could  be  crowned  with  much  success ;  but 
still  he  kept  on,  peering  about  the  trees  and  bushes 
until  he  had  wandered  some  distance  from  the 
junction  of  the  roads. 

It  was  at  this  time  that  Emile  Touron,  driving 
northward  in  the  grocer's  buggy,  had  nearly 
reached  the  point  which  Phil  had  appointed  for 
the  meeting  of  Chap  and  himself. 

196 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     197 

Seeing  a  horse  grazing  by  the  roadside,  Emile 
drew  up,  and  then  stopped.  Looking  at  the  horse 
intently,  he  recognized  him  as  Jouncer,  of  whom 
he  had  made  several  careful  studies  during  his 
visit  to  Hyson  Hall. 

Apprehension  of  danger  immediately  seized  him. 
If  that  horse  were  here,  the  boys  could  not  be  far 
off. 

He  turned  his  buggy  in  the  road,  the  wheels 
making  but  little  noise  in  the  soft  dust,  and  was 
about  to  drive  back  again,  when  he  caught  sight 
of  Phil's  gun  leaning  against  a  tree.  Farther  up 
the  road  he  saw  Phil — some  two  or  three  hundred 
feet  away,  with  his  back  towards  him. 

Drawing  up  the  horse,  Emile  threw  the  reins 
around  the  dashboard,  stepped  lightly  from  the 
buggy,  and  stealthily  approaching  the  tree,  he 
seized  the  gun.  Raising  the  hammers,  he  saw 
that  the  gun  was  capped,  and  ready  to  fire. 

Now  he  felt  like  another  rjerson.  Seeing  neither 
Chap  nor  his  horse,  he  quickly  concluded  that  that 
individual  had  gone  away  somewhere,  and  that 
Phil  was  waiting  for  him.  He  had  been  afraid  to 
meet  his  armed  enemies,  but  now  the  tables  were 
turned.  All  his  rage  and  vindictiveness  boiled  up 
afresh,  and,  going  out  into  the  road,  with  the  gun 
in  his  hand,  he  gave  a  yell. 

Phil  instantly  turned,  and  stood  astounded. 


198     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

"  Ha  !  ha  !"  cried  Eniile.  "  Now  I  have  you ! 
I  can  shoot  you  like  one  dog,  if  I  choose.  Now, 
you  beg  my  pardon  for  what  you  haf  done,  or  I 
will  blow  your  head  off!" 

Whether  Phil  heard  these  words  or  not  it  is  im- 
possible to  say,  but  certain  it  is  that  he  did  not 
heed  them.  Brandishing  his  ramrod,  he  rushed 
towards  Emile.  He  felt  sure  that  the  latter  was 
merely  trying  to  frighten  him,  and  he  did  not  in- 
tend to  be  frightened.  He  did  intend,  however, 
to  take  that  gun  from  him. 

But  he  did  not  know  the  French  boy's  nature. 
Surprised  at  Phil's  temerity,  Emile  again  shouted 
to  him,  saying  that  if  he  did  not  stop  he  would 
certainly  fire,  at  the  same  time  cocking  both  bar- 
rels, and  raising  the  gun  to  his  shoulder.  His 
threat  was  not  an  idle  one.  Phil  approached  so 
furiously,  brandishing  his  ramrod,  that  Emile 
would  not  have  dared  to  let  him  come  near  him. 
He  was  much  less  afraid  of  the  consequences,  if  he 
fired,  than  of  Phil's  attacking  him,  and  being  as- 
sisted in  a  moment,  perhaps,  by  Chap.  He  had 
found  out  before  that  Phil,  though  a  smaller  boy 
than  himself,  was  a  tough  fellow  to  handle.  And 
now  he  carried  a  weapon  of  some  kind.  He  quickly 
made  up  his  mind  to  warn  Phil  again,  and  then, 
if  he  did  not  stoj),  to  fire.  Angry  as  he  was,  he 
did  not  wish  to  kill  the  boy,  and  determined  to 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     199 

fire  at  his  legs.  He  did  not  think  of  the  legal 
consequences  of  such  an  act,  nor  that  the  report 
of  his  gun  would  probably  make  his  horse  run 
away.  There  was  nothing  in  his  mind  but  min- 
gled rage  and  fear. 

"  Stop  !"  he  cried  ;  but  Phil  did  not  stop. 

It  may  be  supposed  that  no  boy  would  have  the 
courage  to  run  forward  thus  in  the  face  of  a  loaded 
gun,  but  Phil  had  not  the  slightest  idea  that  Emile 
would  dare  to  fire. 

Hurriedly  aiming  the  gun  below  Phil's  body, 
Emile  pulled  one  trigger.  As  he  did  so,  the 
thought  flashed  through  Emile's  mind  that  if  he 
did  not  hit  the  young  rascal  at  first,  this  would 
show  him  that  he  was  in  earnest.  As  the  hammer 
came  down,  the  cap  exploded  with  a  loud  snap, 
but  the  gun  did  not  go  off. 

Phil  stopped  short  and  turned  pale.  Was  the 
fellow  really  going  to  kill  him  ?  In  another  in- 
stant he  would  have  turned  and  fled  to  the  shelter 
of  the  woods,  but  Emile,  frightened  at  his  failure, 
and  reckless  of  what  he  was  doing,  aimed  the  gun 
at  Phil's  head,  and  pulled  the  other  trigger.  Again 
there  was  a  snap,  but  no  report. 

The  color  rushed  back  into  Phil's  face  at  this 
second  miss-fire.  The  gun  was  harmless  now,  and 
again  he  dashed  at  Emile,  but  the  latter  instantly 
turned  and  ran  for  his  buggy,  carrying  the  gun. 


200     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

He  did  not  drop  it,  because  he  was  afraid  that 
Phil  would  use  it  against  him. 

Phil  was  after  him  in  hot  haste,  but  Emile 
reached  the  buggy  first,  and  springing  in,  shouted 
to  the  horse.  The  animal  was  already  getting 
restive,  having  his  head  turned  homeward,  and 
immediately  started  away. 

Phil  got  near  enough  to  the  buggy  to  make  a 
grasp  at  the  hinder  part  of  it,  but  Emile  had  seized 
the  reins  and  whip,  and  at  this  instant  giving  the 
horse  a  cut,  the  animal  sprang  away,  and  the 
buggy  was  soon  out  of  Phil's  reach  and  whirling 
rapidly  towards  town. 

Phil  stopped,  and  ran  to  Jouncer,  hurriedly  un- 
hobbling  him,  determined  to  ride  after  that  young 
rascal  and  denounce  him  to  the  authorities  of  the 
town.  He  forgot  all  about  Chap.  His  only 
thought  was  to  go  after  Emile. 

But  Chap  had  not  forgotten  himself.  He  had 
waited  a  good  while  at  the  upper  junction,  and  at 
last  had  made  up  his  mind  that  Phil  must  have 
been  detained  at  some  house  below,  and  that  he 
would  ride  down  and  meet  him.  It  was  of  course 
impossible  that  he  should  have  passed  the  junc- 
tion. So  it  happened  that  just  as  Phil  was  about 
to  start,  Chap  came  galloping  along  on  Kit. 

As  quickly  and  clearly  as  possible  under  the 
circumstances,  Phil  told  his  friend  what  had  hap- 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSOX  HALL     201 

pened,  and  the  two  started  off  on  a  gallop  down 
the  road. 

Chap  was  very  angry,  and  deeply  deplored  the 
fact  that  he  had  not  arrived  a  few  minutes  sooner. 
Nothing  but  a  State's  prison  would  stop  this  French 
boy's  atrocities.  And  now  he  had  actually  stolen 
a  gun !  This  was  enough,  even  if  nothing  else 
could  be  proved.  They  could  certainly  shut  him 
up  now.  Phil  had  about  the  same  ideas,  but  he 
did  not  say  so  much. 

Jouncer  was  a  horse  of  great  endurance,  and  was 
well  fed  every  day,  and  he  galloped  bravely ;  but 
Kit  had  been  out  to  pasture  for  a  month  or  more, 
and  doing  no  work  had  had  no  grain,  and  this  swift 
pace,  added  to  the  previous  travel  of  the  day,  soon 
began  to  tell  upon  him,  and  he  weakened  visibly. 

"  Chap,"  cried  Phil,  "  we  will  have  to  hold  up  ! 
Kit  can't  stand  it.  We  shall  kill  him  if  we  keep 
on." 

They  stopped,  and  it  was  evident  that  what  Phil 
said  was  true.  Kit  was  puffing  and  heaving  at  a 
terrible  rate.  The  boys  were  now  at  least  seven 
or  eight  miles  from  Hyson  Hall,  and  it  was  plain 
that  Kit  could  not  get  there  that  night. 

Chap  proposed  that  Phil  should  ride  on  after 
Emile  while  he  went  to  the  nearest  house  and 
stayed  all  night  with  the  horse,  but  Phil  was  not 
willing  to  do  this. 


202     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

He  felt  that  lie  ought  to  see  for  himself  that  Kit 
found  comfortable  quarters,  and  he  was  not  certain 
that  Jouncer  ought  to  be  galloped  for  the  five  miles 
that  lay  between  them  and  the  town,  and  gallop 
he  certainly  must  to  overtake  that  French  boy, 
who  would  have  no  pity  for  his  horse. 

So  the  two  companions  went  slowly  onward, 
leading  Kit,  until  they  came  to  a  house  where 
Phil  had  stopped  earlier  in  the  day,  and  where  the 
people  agreed  to  keep  the  boys  and  the  horses  for 
the  night. 

"  I  should  feel  worried  about  things  at  home," 
said  Phil,  "  if  I  didn't  know  that  Joel  will  be  back 
before  dark,  and  that  Susan  will  make  him  and  his 
mother  come  up  to  the  house  to  sleep.  They  did 
that  once  before,  when  uncle  and  I  were  away  for  a 
night." 

Emile  certainly  had  no  mercy  on  the  horse  he 
drove.  He  had  looked  back  when  he  reached  the 
top  of  a  rise  in  the  road,  and  had  seen  the  boys 
riding  after  him,  and  he  believed  they  were  still 
in  pursuit. 

He  was  afraid  to  throw  away  the  gun  for  fear 
they  would  pick  it  up,  and  if  they  got  it  he  felt 
sure  they  would  shoot  him.  He  knew  they  must 
have  ammunition  with  them,  for  he  had  seen  the 
powder-horn  and  shot-flask  tied  to  Jouncer's  sad- 
dle. 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSOX  HALL     203 

When  lie  neared  the  town  he  felt  almost  sure 
he  had  distanced  them,  and  he  slackened  his  pace, 
but  he  found  no  opportunity  of  getting  rid  of  the 
gun.  Here  and  there  he  met  people  returning 
from  their  work,  and  although  dusk  was  coming 
on,  it  was  by  no  means  dark  enough  for  him  to 
throw  away  a  gun  without  attracting  observation. 

But  he  felt  he  must  get  rid  of  it.  No  one  must 
see  it  in  his  possession.  If  he  could  hide  it  until 
after  dark  he  would  throw  it  into  the  river. 

When  he  entered  the  town,  he  drove  up  a  side 
street  to  his  tavern,  and  stopped  before  he  reached 
the  corner  of  the  main  street  on  which  the  house 
fronted.  There  was  a  back  door  open,  and  no  one 
was  to  be  seen  in  this  part  of  the  premises.  With 
the  gun  in  his  hand,  Emile  slir3j>ed  quietly  into 
the  house  and  ran  up-stairs  to  his  room  without 
meeting  any  one.  There  he  laid  Old  Bruden  be- 
tween the  two  mattresses  of  his  bed,  and  came 
down-stairs  again.  Jumping  into  the  buggy  he 
drove  round  to  the  grocer's,  delivered  up  the  horse 
and  buggy,  and  paid  for  their  hire. 

Then  he  walked  into  the  tavern  and  made  in- 
quiries about  supper.  While  waiting  for  this  meal 
his  mind  became  greatly  troubled.  Those  boys 
would  certainly  be  along  directly,  and  they  might 
have  him  arrested.  The  house  was  now  lighted 
up,  and  people  were  going  about.     He  was  afraid 


204     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

he  would  have  no  chance  very  soon  to  get  that  gun 
out  of  the  house. 

Then  a  thought  struck  him.  Perhaps  the  gun 
was  not  loaded  after  all,  and  in  that  case  he  could 
assert  that  he  was  only  trying  to  frighten  Phil. 
He  ran  up-stairs,  locked  the  door,  and  took  the 
gun  from  the  bed.  There  was  no  ramrod  in  it, 
but  Emile  had  a  long  thin  switch  which  he  had 
cut  for  a  walking-stick,  and  with  this  he  measured 
the  outside  of  the  barrels  and  then  the  inside. 
The  gun  was  certainly  loaded,  and  he  had  no 
means  of  getting  the  loads  out. 

With  a  sickening  feeling  of  fear  he  put  Old 
Bruden  back  between  the  mattresses,  smoothed  the 
bedclothes,  and  went  down-stairs.  Then  he  walked 
over  to  the  railroad  station  and  asked  when  the 
next  train  would  start  for  New  York. 

The  ticket  agent  told  him  that  the  only  train  for 
New  York  that  evening  was  due  in  a  few  minutes ; 
in  fact,  it  was  coming  then. 

Emile  hesitated  but  a  minute,  and  then  he 
bought  a  ticket,  and  when  the  train  arrived  he 
stepped  on  board.  He  had  had  nothing  to  eat 
since  breakfast,  but  he  would  buy  something  on 
the  road.  As  for  his  baggage  he  would  telegraph 
for  that,  or  he  would  abandon  it  altogether. 

His  fear  had  how  gained  such  powTer  over  him 
that  he  was  impatient  and  restless  because  the  train 


With  a  sickening  feeling  of  fear  he  put  Old  Bruden  back 
between  the  mattresses 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL     205 

did  not  start  the  moment  lie  entered  it.  The  two 
minutes'  stop  seemed  like  a  quarter  of  an  hour  to 
him.     But  at  last  it  moved  away. 

He  did  not  go  to  New  York  that  night,  but 
stopped  at  a  large  town,  got  his  supper  and  slept 
there,  and  then  early  in  the  morning  he  went  on. 
This  course  would  be  wise,  he  thought,  in  case 
they  should  telegraph  after  him. 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 


MR.  GODFREY  BERKELEY  IS  HEARD  FROM. 


When  the  boys  arrived  at  Hyson  Hall  the  next 
morning — for  Phil  thought  it  better  to  go  home 
before  continuing  the  search  for  his  uncle — they 
found  great  trouble  there. 

Joel  had  not  returned  at  all,  and  Susan,  not 
knowing  what  had  happened  to  him  or  the  boys, 
was  in  sore  distress.  Phoenix  had  been  obliged  to 
go  home  at  dark,  and  she  had  sat  up  all  night. 
She  had  determined  to  send  Jenny  to  the  neigh- 
bors in  the  morning,  but  when  day  broke  she  had 
formed  a  different  plan. 

The  boys  might  be  ever  so  far  away,  looking  for 
Mr.  Berkeley,  and  there  ought  to  be  some  one  there 
who  would  attend  to  things.  She  was  afraid  that 
Joel  had  gone  off  and  got  drunk. 

There  had  been  times  when  he  had  done  this 
thing,  and  she  could  imagine  no  other  reason  for 

206 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     207 

his  staying  away  and  sending  no  message.  So  she 
resolved  to  send  Jenny  to  her  father  to  ask  him  if 
he  could  not  come  to  Hyson  Hall,  to  stay  a  day  or 
two  until  things  were  straightened  out.  She  could 
not  be  left  alone  another  night. 

After  a  very  early  breakfast,  Jenny  had  walked 
to  town  and  taken  the  train  for  a  station  within  a 
mile  of  her  father's  house.  Susan  was  rejoiced  to 
see  the  boys,  but  was  not  surprised  to  hear  them 
say  that  they  must  start  off  again  after  breakfast. 
But  they  did  not  start  off  again. 

When  Phil  heard  of  Joel's  continued  absence,  he 
made  up  his  mind  that  they  would  not  leave  home 
until  either  Joel  or  Jenny's  father  should  arrive ; 
but  he  must  ride  back  to  town  to  give  information 
in  regard  to  Emile. 

They  had  passed  by  the  town  so  early  that  morn- 
ing that  he  thought  Mr.  Harrison — the  lawyer  to 
whom  he  intended  to  make  his  complaint — was 
probably  still  in  bed. 

As  soon  as  possible  he  started  off,  leaving  Chap 
behind  in  charge  of  the  stock  and  other  farm 
affairs,  with  special  injunctions  to  take  good  care 
of  Kit  and  get  him  in  condition  for  another  trip 
on  the  morrow. 

Chap  determined  that  Kit  should  be  well  fed 
that  day,  but  when  he  went  to  the  grain-bins  he 
was  surprised  to  find  them  all  empty.     Kit  and 


208     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

the  two  work-horses  had  to  get  along  as  well  as 
they  could  on  hay  and  a  little  corn  which  Chap 
found  in  the  corn-house. 

When  Phil  reached  Mr.  Harrison's  office  he 
introduced  himself, — for  that  gentleman  did  not 
know  him, — and  then  told  the  tale  of  Emile's  at- 
tempting to  shoot  him,  and  of  his  stealing  his  gun  ; 
also  relating  what  Susan  had  told  him  of  Emile's 
conduct  at  Hyson  Hall. 

Mr.  Harrison  listened  quietly,  and  then  asked, — 

"  Were  there  any  witnesses  to  young  Touron's 
attempt  on  your  life  ?" 

"  No,  sir,"  said  Phil ;  "  my  friend  did  not  get 
there  until  it  was  all  over." 

"  And  he  did  not  see  Touron  go  away  with  the 
gun  l 

"  No,"  said  Phil ;  "  but  he  saw  the  buggy  far  up 
the  road,  and  he  knew  the  French  boy  had  the 
gun,  because  I  told  him  so." 

Mr.  Harrison  smiled. 

"  I  am  afraid  you  canot  make  out  much  of  a  case 
without  witnesses,"  he  said,  "  and  as  I  have  heard 
of  other  troubles  at  your  place  in  which  Touron 
fared  very  badly,  it  would  not  do  to  begin  proceed- 
ings with  nothing  to  back  them  but  your  asser- 
tions. However,  I  will  look  into  the  matter  fur- 
ther, but  I  will  first  mention  that  I  have  just  heard 
from  Mr.  Markle,  who  is  the  Tourons'  lawyer,  that 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     209 

he  has  received  a  despatch  from  New  York,  in 
which  young  Touron  states  that  he  was  obliged  to 
leave  this  town  on  account  of  a  conspiracy  against 
his  safety ;  and  also  states  that  his  father  desires 
instant  despatch  in  settling  up  this  foreclosure  busi- 
ness. As  he  is  his  father's  accredited  agent,  Mr. 
Markle  feels  bound  to  obey  his  instructions,  and  I 
see  nothing  to  prevent  the  Hyson  Hall  property 
passing  out  of  the  hands  of  its  present  proprie- 
tors. I  have  investigated  the  matter  thoroughly, 
and  find  there  is  quite  a  large  sum  due  the  holder 
of  the  mortgage.  As  there  seems  no  money  to  pay 
this,  nothing  remains  but  to  sell  the  place,  since 
Touron  is  so  determined  to  push  matters." 

"  I  suppose  all  that  will  happen,"  said  Phil, 
mournfully,  "  unless  I  can  soon  find  my  uncle. 
But  it  is  all  stuff  about  a  conspiracy  against  Emile 
Touron.  He  ran  away  because  he  was  afraid  I 
would  inform  against  him." 

"  That  may  be,"  said  Mr.  Harrison ;  "  but  I 
don't  see  how  it  is  to  be  proved.  Suppose  we 
walk  round  to  the  place  where  he  lodged  and  ask 
some  questions  there." 

Mr.  Harrison  and  Phil  went  to  the  tavern, 
and  were  there  informed  by  the  proprietor  him- 
self that  Mr.  Touron  had  come  in  from  a  drive 
the  evening  before,  had  taken  the  horse  and  buggy 
to  the  place  where  they  had  been  hired,  and  had 

14 


210     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL 

then  walked  to  the  tavern  and  asked  if  supper 
was  ready. 

In  reply  to  Mr.  Harrison's  questions,  the  tavern- 
keeper  said  he  was  certain  young  Touron  had  no 
gun  with  him,  because  he  would  have  been  sure  to 
notice  it,  and  he  also  asserted  that  there  was  no 
gun  in  Touron's  room  ;  because,  having  received  a 
message  from  Mr.  Markle,  informing  him  that 
Touron  had  been  obliged  to  leave  town  suddenly, 
and  requesting  him  to  take  care  of  his  effects,  he 
had  gone  up  to  his  lodger's  room  and  packed  all 
his  belongings  into  his  valise,  which  he  intended 
to  keep  until  his  bill  was  paid.  There  was  no  gun 
in  the  room. 

Phil  and  Mr.  Harrison  then  went  down  to  the 
grocer's  house,  and  were  there  assured  that  no  gun 
had  been  in  the  buggy  when  it  was  brought  home 
the  evening  before. 

"  Now,"  said  Mr.  Harrison  to  Phil,  when  they 
went  out  on  the  street,  "  it  is  quite  clear  that  young 
Touron  did  not  bring  a  gun  to  town  with  him. 
Therefore,  if  your  story  is  correct,  the  only  thing 
he  could  have  done  with  it  was  to  throw  it  away 
on  the  road.  I  am  willing  to  do  everything  I  can 
to  help  you  prove  what  you  assert,  and  I  will  send 
my  clerk  on  a  horse  to  make  search  along  the  road 
over  which  Touron  passed.  He  can  also  ask  ques- 
tions of  the  people  who  live  on  the  road.    Perhaps 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     211 

some  of  them  have  found  the  gun.  You  can  go 
with  him,  if  you  like,  and  help  him  look  for  the 
gun,  as  well  as  show  him  how  far  along  the  road 
to  go." 

Phil  and  Mr.  Harrison's  clerk  soon  rode  off  to- 
gether, and  the  road  from  the  town  to  the  place 
where  Phil  had  waited  for  Chap  was  thoroughly 
searched. 

There  were  not  many  bushes  by  the  fences,  but 
all  these  were  well  looked  into,  and  the  people  at 
the  houses  were  questioned,  but  no  gun  was  found, 
and  no  one  had  seen  a  gun  by  the  roadside  or  in 
the  fields. 

The  afternoon  was  half  gone  when  Phil  rode 
mournfully  home,  and  the  clerk  returned  to  make 
his  report  to  Mr.  Harrison. 

When  Phil  reached  Hyson  Hall  he  found  Joel. 
The  latter  had  not  been  drunk,  but  had  had 
trouble.  He  had  gone  much  farther  than  he  had 
expected,  and  had  been  obliged  to  stay  away  all 
night.  He  had  not  considered  this  a  matter  of 
much  consequence,  for  he  supposed  Phil  and  Chap 
would  be  at  the  house,  and  that  they  could  attend 
to  the  barn  affairs  for  one  night  at  least. 

The  milking  was  always  done  by  Jennie  and 
Joel's  mother.  But  he  had  not  been  able  to  get 
any  hands  at  all.  Disengaged  men  were  very  few, 
and  those  he  saw  were  not  willing  to  come  to  a 


212     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL 

place  where  they  probably  would  not  be  paid  for 
their  work.  Everybody  seemed  to  have  heard  of 
the  troubles  at  Hyson  Hall,  and  to  know  that  the 
house  and  everything  on  the  place  would  soon  be 
sold  by  the  sheriff. 

He  had  also  tried  at  several  places  to  buy  some 
oats,  for  those  ordered  from  Trumbull's  had  not 
come,  but  nobody  would  sell  him  any  except  for 
cash. 

Phil  could  not  help  thinking  that  Joel  ought  to 
have  told  him  some  time  before  that  they  were  so 
nearly  out  of  oats,  but  he  did  not  find  any  fault 
with  the  man.  He  seemed  to  have  managed  mat- 
ters so  badly  himself  that  he  had  not  the  heart  to 
blame  anybody  else. 

"  I  guess  we  will  have  to  turn  the  horses  out  to 
grass,"  he  said,  "  until  they  are  sold."  And  then 
he  went  to  the  house. 

Towards  evening  Helen  Webster  came  to  see 
her  brother  and  Phil.  She  had  expected  to  be 
there  sooner,  but  her  mother  had  wished  to  come 
with  her,  and  so  the  visit  was  deferred  ;  but  there 
seemed  to  be  no  time  when  there  was  not  some- 
thing which  Mrs.  Webster  ought  to  do,  and  at  last 
Helen  had  come  by  herself. 

She  told  the  boys  of  her  visit  to  Mr.  Welford, 
which  was  the  first  they  had  heard  of  it,  and  was 
much  surprised  to  find  that  Phil  had  not  received 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL     213 

a  letter  from  the  banker  entirely  exonerating  him 
from  the  charges  that  had  been  made. 

"  He  ought  to  have  written  to  you  right  away !" 
said  Helen,  indignantly ;  "  to  tell  you  that  he  had 
found  out  that  the  things  he  had  said  about  you 
were  not  true.  He  was  quick  enough  to  write 
when  he  had  fault  to  find." 

Phil  was  very  much  comforted  by  Helen's  ac- 
count of  her  visit  to  Mr.  Welford.  He  did  not 
think  much  would  come  of  it,  but  it  pleased  him 
to  know  he  had  some  one  to  speak  for  him. 

"  I  am  ever  so  much  obliged  to  you  and  your 
mother,"  he  said ;  "  but  I  think  Mr.  Welford  won't 
be  in  any  hurry  to  say  he  was  mistaken.  These 
people  don't  believe  you  when  you  go  to  them  and 
tell  them  the  plain  truth." 

And  then,  to  prove  his  position,  he  gave  Helen 
a  full  account  of  all  that  had  recently  happened. 

Helen  was  much  affected  by  what  Phil  told  her. 
She  was  already  so  much  incensed  against  Emile 
Touron  that  she  could  find  little  more  to  say  about 
him  except  that  he  was  the  most  wicked  person 
she  knew  of,  and  that  he  certainly  ought  to  be  put 
in  prison.  Her  grief  at  the  probable  sale  of  Hyson 
Hall  was  very  great. 

"  To  think  of  this  beautiful  place  being  taken 
away  from  your  family,"  she  said,  "  and  given  to 
those  horrible  French  people  !    It  is  too  dreadful ! 


214     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HAEL 

If  my  father  were  rich  I  would  get  him  to  come 
and  buy  the  place,  and  then  your  uncle  could  buy 
it  back  whenever  he  chose." 

"  I  was  thinking  of  that  myself,"  said  Chap ; 
"  but  father  couldn't  do  it.  There  isn't  anybody 
about  here  who  could  bid  against  those  Tourons. 
They  are  rich  people,  and  they  want  this  place." 

"  But  isn't  there  any  way  of  raising  money  ?" 
asked  Helen,  anxiously. 

"  Yes,"  said  Chap,  "  there  is  a  way,  and  the 
thing  ought  to  have  been  done  long  ago.  That 
wreck  down  there " 

"  Now,  look  here,  Chap,"  interrupted  Phil,  "  it's 
of  no  use  to  talk  about  that  wreck.  Even  if  there 
is  any  treasure  in  it,  we  couldn't  get  at  it  without 
first  spending  a  lot  of  money,  and  that  is  what  we 
haven't  got.  No,  Helen,"  he  continued,  "there 
isn't  any  way  of  raising  money  that  I  can  see. 
There  isn't  anything  I  could  sell,  except  some 
horses  and  cows,  and  they  wouldn't  bring  any- 
thing like  enough.  Besides,  I  haven't  any  right 
to  sell  uncle's  property,  even  to  pay  his  debts." 

"  No,"  said  Chap  ;  "  and  if  you  were  to  do  any- 
thing of  that  kind  your  uncle  would  come  along 
next  day  and  make  a  jolly  row  about  selling  his 
stock  for  half-price." 

"  Couldn't  you  take  boarders  ?"  suggested  Helen. 
"  That  is  a  splendid  way  to  make  money  in  the 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL     215 

summer-time,  and  this  house  is  big  enough  to  hold 
ever  so  many  of  them." 

"That  would  be  capital!"  cried  Chap.  "I'd 
just  like  to  stay  here,  Phil,  and  help  you  run  a 
boarding-house.  I  could  ride  over  the  country 
and  buy  up  butter  and  eggs." 

"And  bring  them  home  all  mixed  together," 
said  Helen,  laughing.  "  I  don't  think  you  would 
make  much  of  a  manager,  Chap,  if  the  people 
were  at  all  particular." 

"  Now,  Helen,"  said  Chap,  "  you  know  I  am 
very  particular." 

"  There  is  no  use  arguing  about  that,"  inter- 
rujoted  Phil.  "  We  couldn't  get  any  boarders  to 
come  here.  They'd  be  afraid  they'd  be  sold  with 
the  rest  of  the  property." 

"  Don't  talk  that  way,  Phil,"  said  Helen.  "  It 
sounds  awful." 

The  party  was  now  joined  by  Phoenix. 

"  I  didn't  know  whether  I'd  find  you  at  home  or 
not,"  he  said  to  Phil ;  "  but  I  came  over  to  see. 
Sorry  I  couldn't  stay  last  night,  for  I  left  Susan 
in  a  dreadful  stew.  Didn't  find  your  uncle,  I 
suppose  ?" 

"  No,"  said  Phil. 

He  was  about  to  begin  an  account  of  his  ad- 
ventures the  day  before,  when  Phoenix  pulled  a 
letter  out  of  his  pocket  and  handed  it  to  him. 


216     THE   YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

"  I  was  in  town  this  afternoon,"  he  said,  "  and 
the  people  in  the  post-office  gave  me  this  to  bring 
to  you.  It  is  a  drop  letter,  and  must  have  been 
put  in  yesterday.  They  said  they  saw  you  in  town, 
but  guessed  you  must  have  forgotten  to  stop  at  the 
office." 

"  I  did  forget,"  said  Phil,  as  he  took  the  letter. 
Glancing  at  the  address,  his  face  brightened.  "  It's 
from  uncle  !"  he  exclaimed. 

"  Good!  good!"  cried  Helen,  clapping  her  hands. 
"  Now  everything  will  be  all  right !  I  felt  sure 
all  the  time  that  something  good  would  happen !" 

Phil  tore  open  the  envelope  and  took  out  the 
note  it  contained.  It  was  very  short,  and  he  read 
it  aloud.  He  had  no  secrets  from  his  friends.  This 
was  the  note : 

"  You  have  grieved  me  to  the  heart.  I  expected  to  be 
with  you  for  a  time  to-day,  but  little  did  I  suppose  I  should 
be  met  with  an  insult — for  it  was  nothing  less — before  I  set 
foot  on  my  own  land.  I  don't  wish  to  see  you  for  the 
present,  and  I  cannot  say  when  you  will  hear  from  me 
again.  G.  B." 

Phil  stood,  pale,  with  the  letter  in  his  hand,  and 
said  not  a  word.     Helen  burst  into  tears. 

"  That  is  too  cruel !"  she  said.  "  What  does  he 
mean  ?" 

Chap's  face  flushed,  and  he  clinched  his  fist. 

"  Do  you  suppose,"  he  said  to  Phil,  "  that  he  got 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     217 

Lis  back  up  in  that  way  because  you  didn't  send 
the  gun  to  him  ?" 

But  Phil  made  no  answer.  He  still  stood  with 
his  eyes  fixed  on  the  floor.  This  was  the  most 
cruel  blow  he  had  ever  received,  and  it  stunned 
him. 

Phoenix  said  nothing,  but  his  mind  was  filled 
with  an  earnest  wish  that  he  had  not  stopped  at 
the  post-office. 

"  Chap,"  said  Phil,  directly,  in  a  husky  voice 
that  did  not  seem  like  his  own,  "  I  won't  bother 
you  to  stay  here  to-night,  but  I  would  like  you 
to  come  round  in  the  morning.     Good-by,  all !" 

And  he  went  into  the  house  with  the  letter  in 
his  hand. 

Helen  and  the  two  boys  walked  down  the  porch- 
steps  without  a  word.  But  when  they  were  some 
distance  from  the  house,  Chap  suddenly  stopped 
and  shook  his  fist. 

"  The  fellow  that  ought  to  have  his  head  punched 
worst  of  all,"  he  cried,  "  is  that  uncle !" 

Half  an  hour  later  Phil  was  sitting  gloomily 
on  the  porch,  looking  over  the  fields,  when  a  man 
came  through  the  hall  and  out  of  the  front  door  to 
speak  to  him. 

"  I  am  Jenny's  father,"  said  the  man.  "  She 
said  you  were  a  little  hard  pushed  and  needed 
help,  and  so  I  came  over  with  her." 


218     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

Phil  rose  and  looked  up  at  the  person  address- 
ing him.  To  his  surprise,  he  recognized  him  as 
the  man  who  had  held  his  horse  on  the  day  he 
had  violated  a  town  ordinance  by  tying  Jouncer 
to  a  tree.     The  man  recognized  him  also. 

"  Hello !"  he  cried.  "  So  you  are  young  Hy- 
son, are  you  ?  I've  heard  a  good  deal  about  you, 
but  never  knew  who  you  were  before.  I  suppose 
you  haven't  been  tying  any  more  horses  to  trees 
lately  ?" 


A...     _^//V> 


CHAPTEB    XXIV. 


THE  GROCER  S  BUGGY  ONCE  MORE. 


John  Morgan,  Jenny's  father,  was  a  very  sen- 
sible, practical  man,  and  lie  had,  besides,  a  genial 
and  kindly  humor  which  had  a  good  deal  of 
effect  that  evening  in  quieting  and  comforting  the 
troubled  soul  of  poor  Phil. 

The  two  sat  together  for  an  hour  or  more  after 
supper,  talking  over  the  various  affairs  connected 
with  the  farm.  Phil  felt  so  utterly  crushed  by  his 
uncle's  note,  which  to  him  seemed  so  hard  and  un- 
deserved, and  which,  coming  at  such  a  time,  was 
doubly  severe  in  its  effect,  that  at  first  he  took  no 
interest  in  such  matters. 

But  John  Morgan  knew  of  the  boy's  troubles, 
having  had  very  full  accounts  of  them  from  Jenny, 
though,  indeed,  nothing  had  been  said  to  him  of 
Mr.  Berkeley's  letter,  and,  seeing  what  a  melan- 

219 


2l>0     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OE  HYSON  HALL 

choly  mood  he  was  in,  lie  thought  the  best  way  to 
comfort  him  was  to  talk  of  e very-day  matters  in  as 
cheerful  and  hopeful  a  way  as  possible. 

He  told  Phil  that  as  his  harvest  was  over,  and 
as  his  two  older  boys  could  attend  to  the  work  on 
his  place,  he  would  stay  here  and  give  his  help 
until  other  arrangements  could  be  made. 

He  had  been  talking  with  Joel,  and  knew  pretty 
well  what  ought  to  be  done.  He  knew  of  a  man 
who  would  come  to  him,  and  with  this  assistance 
he  and  Joel  would  get  in  the  wheat  crop.  As  for 
feed  for  the  stock,  and  whatever  else  of  the  kind 
was  needed  on  the  place,  he  would  see  that  it  was 
supplied,  and  when  the  wheat  was  threshed,  every- 
thing could  be  paid  for. 

Although  these  were  the  least  of  Phil's  troubles, 
it  was  some  satisfaction  to  know  that  the  farm 
affairs  would  be  made  all  right. 

John  Morgan  also  spoke  about  the  mortgage  and 
Mr.  Berkeley's  absence  ;  and,  although  he  could 
not  say  anything  about  either  of  these  things  which 
could  give  any  real  encouragement,  it  was  pleasant 
to  Phil  to  be  talked  to  by  a  man  who  was  both 
sensible  and  sympathetic. 

The  next  day  Chap  came  around  and  proposed 
that  they  should  set  off  again  in  the  search  for 
Mr.  Berkeley,  but  Phil  would  not  consent.  If  his 
uncle  was  so  angry  with  him  that  he  did  not  want 


THE   YOUNG   MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL     221 

to  see  him,  he  did  not  feel  like  forcing  himself 
upon  him. 

He  felt  besides  that  they  could  not  find  his  uncle 
now.  There  had  been  some  chance,  indeed,  when 
they  started  off  before ;  but  by  this  time  his  uncle 
was  probably  hundreds  of  miles  away.  He  had 
no  doubt  dropped  the  note  into  the  post-office  just 
before  he  left  town. 

The  next  day  was  Sunday,  and  on  Monday 
morning  Phil  rose  with  a  feeling  that  something 
must  soon  happen  to  put  an  end  to  this  strange 
state  of  affairs.  From  what  Mr.  Harrison  had  told 
him,  he  supposed  that  legal  proceedings  would 
begin  with  the  beginning  of  the  week.  What 
would  happen  to  him  if  the  place  were  sold  he  did 
not  know.  His  uncle  was  his  nearest  relative,  and 
he  did  not  seem  to  count  for  much  just  now.  Per- 
haps he  would  go  and  stay  with  Chap  for  a  time, 
until  something  turned  up.  He  could  certainly  do 
work  enough  to  pay  for  his  board.  At  any  rate,  it 
was  too  doleful  a  thing  to  walk  about  the  place  and 
talk  of  his  misery,  so  he  took  off  his  coat,  and  went 
out  into  the  field  to  help  the  men  bind  the  sheaves. 

Chap,  like  a  good  fellow,  took  off  his  coat  also, 
and  went  out  to  help  his  friend.  Binding  wheat, 
he  declared,  was  one  of  the  j  oiliest  sports  in  the 
world.  He  would  have  preferred,  however,  to 
go  to  work  upon  the  old  wreck,  and  get  money 


222     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

enough  to  do  away  at  once  with  all  the  troubles 
that  hung  over  Hyson  Hall.  But  it  was  of  no  use 
to  talk  to  Phil  of  anything  of  that  kind  now. 

While  the  boys  were  at  dinner  that  day,  Susan 
was  standing  on  the  front  porch  in  a  very  discon- 
solate mood.  The  whole  household,  indeed,  felt 
the  shadow  of  the  coming  troubles,  and  no  one, 
except  John  Morgan,  made  even  an  attempt  to  be 
cheerful.  Susan  had  many  reasons  for  feeling 
badly.  She  pitied  Phil  very  much,  and  her  con- 
science reproached  her  for  having  treated  him  so 
unkindly  immediately  after  his  uncle  went  away. 
But  not  only  did  she  grieve  that  the  Berkeleys 
should  lose  their  home,  but  she  was  sorry  on  her 
own  account.  For  many  years  Hyson  Hall  had 
been  her  home,  and  she  had  expected  it  to  be 
such  for  many  years  to  come.  Her  depression  was 
greatly  increased  by  the  loss  of  Old  Bruden.  Now 
that  the  Tourons  had  possession  of  the  master's 
gun,  the  matter  in  her  mind  was  j)retty  well  set- 
tled. 

While  thinking  over  these  things,  she  heard  the 
sound  of  approaching  wheels.  Looking  up,  she 
saw  the  grocer's  buggy  and  the  grocer's  horse 
coming  towards  the  house.  Her  heart  fell  wTithin 
her.  It  actually  made  her  sick  to  think  that  any- 
body— unless,  indeed,  it  should  be  Mr.  Godfrey 
Berkeley — should  come  to  that  house.     Visitors 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     223 

meant  trouble.  This  could  not  be  the  French  boy 
coming  back?     No  ;  it  was  two  gentlemen. 

She  went  into  the  dining-room  to  tell  Phil  of 
the  approaching  visitors.  Chap  jumped  up  and 
looked  out  of  the  window. 

"  Borden  and  Tousey's  horse  and  buggy !"  he 
exclaimed ;  "  but  I  don't  know  the  men.  They 
are  a  couple  of  solemn-looking  coves." 

Phil  rose  from  the  table,  a  little  pale. 

"  Of  course  it's  the  sheriff,  or  some  of  them," 
he  said.  "  I  supjDOsed  they'd  come  along  to-day. 
Mr.  Harrison  told  me  that  old  Touron  had  given 
orders  to  foreclose  immediately." 

"  What  do  they  do  ?"  asked  Chap,  a  little  ner- 
vously. "  Do  they  turn  you  right  out,  neck  and 
heels?" 

"  All  I  know  about  it,"  said  Phil,  "  is  that  when 
a  place  has  been  mortgaged,  and  the  money  that 
ought  to  have  been  paid  hasn't  been  paid,  the  peo- 
ple that  hold  the  mortgage  have  the  matter  closed 
up,  and  the  sheriff  sells  you  out.  Then,  if  these 
money-lenders  want  your  propert}r,  they  buy  it 
themselves ;  and  after  the  sheriff  takes  out  what  is 
due  to  them,  and  all  other  expenses,  he  gives  you 
what's  left.  But  as  things  sell  awfully  cheap  at 
sheriff's  sales,  there  generally  isn't  anything  left. 
Uncle  told  me  about  these  things,  and  that's  what 
I  remember  of  it." 


224     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

Phil  made  this  rather  long  speech  as  he  was 
walking  nervously  about  in  the  dining-room,  wait- 
ing till  the  visitors  should  get  out  of  the  buggy 
and  come  to  the  house. 

He  did  not  feel  at  all  like  going  out  to  meet 
them.  Very  soon  there  were  steps  on  the  porch, 
and  then  a  knock  on  the  door.  In  a  few  moments 
Susan  came  to  Phil,  and  told  him  that  two  gentle- 
men wanted  to  see  him  in  the  parlor. 

"  Shall  I  come  with  you  ?"  whispered  Chap. 

"  No,"  said  Phil.     "  Perhaps  you'd  better  not." 

He  felt  that  he  could  better  bear  it  alone,  and 
resolutely,  but  with  a  fast-beating  heart,  he  entered 
the  parlor. 

In  five  minutes  more  he  rushed  back  into  the 
dining-room,  his  eyes  sparkling,  his  face  glowing. 
Seizing  Chap  by  the  arm,  he  exclaimed, — 

"■  It  isn't  the  sheriff  at  all !  It's  two  of  the 
steamboat  men  from  the  city.  They've  come  to 
pay  us  for  running  the  Thomas  Wistar  ashore. 
What  they  say  we  have  earned  will  more  than  pay 
the  Tourons'  interest." 

Then  he  dragged  Chap,  amazed  and  speechless, 
into  the  parlor. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


OLD    BRUDEN    MAKES    AN    IMPRESSION. 

When  the  grocer's  buggy  drove  away  from 
Hyson  Hall  it  left  two  happy  boys  behind.  A 
woman  was  soon  added  to  the  number  of  rejoicers, 
for  Susan  was  told  the  great  news,  and  Jenny, 
when  she  heard  it,  ran  to  the  wheatfield  to  tell  her 
father  and  Joel.  The  whole  world  seemed  more 
cheerful  to  the  people  of  Hyson  Hall.  The  sun 
shone  with  great  brightness,  although  this  had  been 
noticed  before  by  the  workers  in  the  harvest-field. 

Everything  out-doors,  as  well  as  in-doors,  seemed 
to  have  something  bright  and  sparkling  about  it ; 
and  a  fresh  breeze  sprang  up,  which,  if  the  bells 
had  still  been  hanging  on  the  roof,  would  have 
added  a  merry  peal  to  the  rejoicing.  But  the 
bells  were  not  there.  Susan  and  Phoenix  had 
taken  them  down  soon  after  young  Touron  had 
made  his  precipitate  retreat  from  the  place. 


15 


225 


226    THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL 

The  two  gentlemen  who  came  in  the  buggy 
were  connected  with  the  railroad  company  which 
owned  the  Thomas  Wistar  and  other  steamboats 
plying  upon  the  river. 

Full  reports  of  the  manner  in  which  the  boat 
had  been  run  ashore  had  been  given  to  the  com- 
pany ;  and  now  that  everything  of  value  had  been 
taken  from  the  Wistar,  and  a  calculation  had  been 
made  of  the  amount  of  the  loss,  and  the  value  of 
the  goods,  machinery,  etc.,  which  had  been  saved, 
the  two  gentlemen  had  been  sent  to  Boontown,  to 
make  arrangements  for  compensating  the  persons 
who  had  been  instrumental  in  saving  a  portion 
of  the  boat  and  cargo. 

Of  these,  the  young  fellows  who  had  boarded 
the  burning  steamboat  and  had  run  her  ashore 
deserved  the  principal  portion  of  the  salvage- 
money. 

Both  the  gentlemen  were  acquainted  with  Mr. 
Welford,  and  they  went  first  to  his  office  to  make 
inquiries  in  regard  to  Phil  and  his  companions. 
Now  it  was  that  the  good  effect  of  Helen's  visit  to 
the  banker  began  to  show  itself. 

Had  these  gentlemen  come  to  see  Mr.  Welford 
before  Helen's  warm  defence  of  Phil  had  made 
the  banker  investigate,  as  far  as  he  was  able,  the 
character  and  conduct  of  that  young  person,  they 
would  probably  have  heard  that  it  would  be  ex- 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     227 

tremely  injudicious  to  put  money  into  the  hands 
of  a  boy  who  might  spend  hundreds  of  dollars  in 
discharging  old  servants  and  in  carrying  on  all 
sorts  of  wild  and  disorderly  pranks  in  his  uncle's 
house. 

But  Mr.  Welford  spoke  in  a  very  different  vein. 
Instead  of  urging  the  officers  of  the  company  to 
delay  the  payment  of  Phil's  portion  of  the  salvage 
until  the  arrival  of  his  uncle  and  guardian,  he  had 
advised  a  full  and  immediate  payment  of  the 
money  due,  feeling  sure  that  Phil  would  use  it 
towards  paying  the  interest  on  the  mortgage.  He 
did  not  know  exactly  how  much  would  be  neces- 
sary to  stop  the  foreclosure  proceedings,  but  hoped 
Phil's  share  would  be  sufficient. 

The  gentlemen  admitted  that  the  boys'  services 
had  been  of  great  value.  Had  the  Wistar  floated 
on  until  the  tide  turned,  she  would  have  turned 
around  with  it,  for  her  bow  was  more  heavily 
loaded  than  her  stern,  and,  in  that  case,  the  wind 
would  have  swept  the  flames  over  the  whole  ves- 
sel, and  everything  on  board  would  have  been 
consumed ;  or,  if  she  had  floated  much  longer,  she 
would  probably  have  burned  sufficiently  to  have 
sunk  in  mid-channel.  But  the  boys  had  pre- 
vented all  that  by  bringing  her  into  such  an  ex- 
cellent moorage  as  Spatterdock  Point. 

When  the  two  gentlemen  talked  to  Phil  in  the 


228     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

parlor  of  Hyson  Hall,  they  made  him  understand 
how  thoroughly  the  company  appreciated  the 
brave  efforts  of  himself  and  companions  to  save 
their  projoerty,  and  named  the  sum  which  was 
considered  their  due. 

They  then  asked  the  full  names  of  the  three 
boys  to  whom  the  money  should  be  paid.  Chap 
hereupon  protested  that  none  of  the  money  was 
due  him,  for  he  was  not  on  the  Wistar  at  all,  and 
did  not  do  anything  to  help  get  her  ashore. 

"  That's  nonsense !"  cried  Phil.  "  If  you  hadn't 
stayed  on  the  row-boat  we  wouldn't  have  gone  on 
the  steamboat." 

"  But  if  the  fire  had  burst  out  under  you,"  said 
Chap,  "  it  wouldn't  have  hurt  me.  At  any  rate, 
you've  got  to  have  my  share,  and  Phoenix  will 
give  you  his,  too,  for  if  you  don't  have  it  all, 
this  place  will  be  sold,  Wistar  or  no  Wistar." 

"  Phoenix  will  have  something  to  say  about 
that,"  said  Phil. 

It  was  finally  agreed  that  a  cheque  for  the  full 
amount  should  be  made  out  to  Mr.  Welford's  order 
and  sent  to  him,  and  he  and  the  boys  could  arrange 
as  to  the  proportion  each  should  receive.  Then  the 
gentlemen  left. 

"  If  Phoenix  don't  give  you  every  copper  of  his 
share,"  said  Chap,  "  he'll  get  a  worse  thrashing 
than  he  gave  Emily." 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     229 

"  Who'll  give  it  to  him  ?"  asked  Phil. 

"  I  will,"  replied  Chap.  "  You  needn't  laugh. 
A  fellow  can  do  big  things  when  he  has  justice  on 
his  side." 

The  boys  did  not  go  into  the  harvest-field  again 
that  afternoon.  They  both  went  over  to  the  Poole 
place,  to  tell  Phoenix  the  wonderful  news. 

"  It  pays  better  to  run  a  wreck  into  the  mud," 
said  Phoenix,  when  he  heard  the  story,  "  than  to 
hoist  one  out  of  it." 

"  Now,  look  here,"  cried  Chap,  "  it's  no  use 
talking  that  way.  Just  wait  till  our  wreck  is 
hoisted  out  of  the  mud !" 

"All  right,"  said  Phoenix,  "  I'll  wait." 

When  the  matter  of  the  division  was  talked  of, 
Phoenix  fully  agreed  with  Chap  to  hand  over  the 
whole  amount  to  Phil,  and  to  wait  for  repayment 
until  Mr.  Berkeley's  return.  Phoenix,  however, 
made  one  reservation :  If  there  should  be  any 
money  left  over  after  the  Tourons'  claims  had  been 
fully  paid,  he  would  like  to  have  a  dollar  and  a 
quarter.  He  had  lost  his  knife,  and  it  would  take 
that  much  money  to  buy  him  another  like  it.  It 
was  a  dreadfully  awkward  thing  to  be  without  a 
knife.  This  was  agreed  to,  and  the  matter  was 
settled. 

That  evening,  Mr.  Alexander  Muller  came  into 
Boontown,  after  a  long  walk.     He  determined  to 


230     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

stay  in  town  for  some  days,  and  took  lodgings  at 
the  tavern  which  young  Touron  had  lately  left. 
The  room  that  Emile  had  occupied  was  given  to 
him,  and  soon  after  supper  he  was  glad  to  hang 
his  black  straw  hat  on  the  rack  in  the  hall,  and 
go  up-stairs  to  bed. 

But  he  did  not  sleep  well.  He  had  bad  dreams. 
He  dreamed  that  he  was  taking  a  journey  by  rail, 
but  he  did  not  travel  in  the  ordinary  way.  In- 
stead of  being  in  a  car  which  ran  upon  the  track, 
he  was  lying  at  full  length  upon  a  rail,  which 
was  carried  by  two  brakemen.  This  rail  seemed 
much  unlike  other  rails.  It  was  not  smooth  and 
even,  but  was  full  of  jagged  points  and  knots  and 
sharp  bends,  which  ran  into  his  back  and  made 
him  very  uncomfortable.  He  moved  and  wriggled 
about,  but  could  not  get  on  any  part  of  the  rail 
where  it  was  smooth.  He  tried  to  fall  off,  but  he 
found  that  this  was  impossible.  So  he  went  on 
and  on,  the  brakemen  sometimes  stumbling  and 
falling  on  their  knees,  which  made  the  jagged 
points  run  into  him  worse  than  ever. 

At  last  he  woke  up,  and  when  his  eyes  were 
fully  opened,  he  said  to  himself, — 

"  I  never  slept  so  uncomfortably  in  my  life. 
My  back  aches  as  if  it  had  been  threshed  with 
a  flail.     There  must  be  something  in  this  bed." 

He  got  up,  struck  a  match,  and  lighted  a  candle. 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     231 

He  turned  down  the  bedclothes,  and  then  turned 
down  the  upper  mattress,  which  was  very  thin. 
Under  this  he  found  a  double-barrelled  shot-gun. 
Mr.  Muller  was  greatly  astonished. 

"  No  wonder  I  slept  badly,"  he  said,  "  lying  on 
this  thing." 

Then  he  took  up  the  gun,  and  sat  on  the  side 
of  the  bed,  thinking.  He  had  heard  some  talk 
that  evening,  at  the  supper-table,  about  a  French 
boy  who  stole  a  gun  from  young  Berkeley,  and 
also  attempted  to  shoot  him.  He  knew  that  this 
was  the  room  which  had  been  occupied  by  a 
French  boy,  because  the  landlord  had  mentioned 
it  when  he  accompanied  him  up-stairs.  Naturally, 
therefore,  he  connected  the  gun  with  the  story  he 
had  heard. 

Since  his  interview  with  Chap  Webster  in  the 
barn-yard,  he  had  thought  a  good  deal  about  the 
story  the  boy  had  told  him  of  the  troubles  at  Hy- 
son Hall.  He  rather  liked  Chap,  although  he 
had  been  a  good  deal  provoked  at  him  when  he 
read  the  postal-card  which  had  made  him  an  ob- 
ject of  ridicule  at  his  boarding-house  in  New 
York.  He  had  never  seen  Philip  Berkeley,  but 
the  fact  of  his  having  taken  a  good  deal  of  trouble 
to  restore  him  his  black  straw  hat,  by  posting  up 
a  notice  to  its  owner,  and  leaving  it  in  a  j)lace 
where  it  could  be  conveniently  called  for,  had  im- 


232     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

pressed  liim  with  the  idea  that  Phil  was  a  sensible 
and  considerate  boy.  He  felt  willing,  therefore, 
to  do  all  he  could  to  help  the  young  fellow  who 
was  put  to  so  much  trouble  by  the  absence  of  his 
uncle  ;  and  as  he  had,  besides,  a  very  strong  desire 
on  his  own  account  to  find  Mr.  Godfrey  Berkeley, 
he  had  made  a  good  many  inquiries  about  that 
gentleman  at  the  different  places  he  had  visited 
during  the  last  few  days,  but  had  received  no  in- 
formation whatever. 

"  I  think,"  said  he  to  himself,  at  last,  "  that  I 
will  put  this  gun  back  where  I  found  it ;  but  I 
won't  put  it  across  the  bed,  as  it  was  before. 
There  is  room  enough  here  for  us  both  to  lie  very 
comfortably." 

So  he  laid  Old  Bruden  on  the  farther  side  of 
the  bed,  with  its  muzzle  pointed  a  little  outward, 
so  that  he  should  not  be  incommoded,  in  case  it 
should  choose  to  go  off  in  the  night.  He  could 
not  find  out  whether  it  was  loaded  or  not,  because 
there  was  no  ramrod  to  the  gun,  but  he  felt  per- 
fectly safe  with  its  muzzle  pointed  away  from  him. 
He  had  often  slept  with  a  loaded  pistol  under  his 
pillow. 


CHAPTER    XXVI. 


MR.    TOURON    ATTENDS    PERSONALLY    TO    HIS 
AFFAIRS. 

The  next  day  but  one  after  the  visit  of  the  two 
gentlemen  to  Hyson  Hall,  Mr.  Touron,  at  his 
residence  in  New  York,  read  in  his  morning 
paper  a  short  account  of  the  boys  who  had  saved 
part  of  the  cargo  of  a  burning  steamboat,  by 
running  her  ashore.  The  name  and  residence  of 
Philip  Berkeley  were  given,  and  mention  was 
made  of  the  handsome  sum  he  and  his  companions 
were  to  receive  for  their  services. 

The  French  gentleman  instantly  suspected  the 
effect  which  this  event  would  have  upon  himself. 
Philip  Berkeley  would  pay  off  the  interest  on  the 
mortgage,  and  Hyson  Hall  would  not  be  sold  by 
the  sheriff  nor  bought  by  the  Tourons. 

"  What  slow  and  stupid  dolts  these  country 
lawyers  are !"  said  Mr.  Touron,  angrily,  to  him- 

233 


234     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

self.  "  That  foreclosure  should  have  been  made  a 
week  ago,  and  the  whole  affair  settled,  and  Mr. 
Markle  should  have  bought  the  property  in  my 
name,  as  I  directed  him.  I  will  go  down  there 
myself.  There  may  be  time  yet  to  finish  up  the 
matter." 

When  Emile  heard  that  his  father  was  going  to 
Boontown  he  asked  that  he  might  go  with  him. 
He  had  not  told  his  father  anything  about  the 
affair  with  the  gun,  having  explained  his  sudden 
departure  by  saying  that  he  had  heard  that  he 
would  be  attacked  by  the  boys  from  Hyson  Hall 
if  he  stayed  there  any  longer.  But  he  had  taken 
care  to  relate  the  treatment  he  had  received  from 
Phoenix  Poole  and  Susan,  and  he  hoped  that,  by 
his  father's  influence,  these  outrages  might  be  made 
to  offset  the  little  affair  on  the  road. 

He  also  had  a  morbid  desire  to  see  if  the  gun 
were  still  between  the  mattresses  of  the  bed.  He 
would  make  some  pretence  to  go  to  the  room  he 
had  occupied,  and  if  the  gun  were  still  there  he 
would,  at  all  hazards,  get  it  away  and  drop  it  into 
the  river. 

Perhaps  they  would  stay  at  Boontown  all  night, 
and  then  he  would  have  a  good  chance.  What 
he  would  do  or  say  if  he  should  not  find  the  gun 
where  he  had  left  it,  he  did  not  consider. 

When  Mr.  Touron  and  his  son  arrived  at  Boon- 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OP  HYSON  HALL     235 

town  they  found  that  they  were  in  time.  Mr.  Har- 
rison, who  had  heard  of  their  arrival,  hurried  to 
Mr.  Welford's  office  to  know  if  the  boys'  money 
had  been  received. 

But,  although  Phil  and  his  two  friends  had 
been  with  Mr.  Welford  in  the  morning,  and  had 
arranged  for  the  equal  division  of  the  salvage- 
money,  with  the  proviso,  which  was  agreed  upon 
in  writing  by  the  parents  of  Chap  and  Phoenix, 
that  all  the  money  should  for  the  present  be  placed 
at  Phil's  disposal,  nothing  had  been  heard  from  the 
railroad  company.     No  cheque  had  been  received. 

There  was  nothing  surprising  in  this,  as  such 
things  are  generally  not  done  in  great  haste ;  but 
the  delay,  under  the  circumstances,  was  very  un- 
fortunate. 

But  Mr.  Welford  was  anxious  to  do  whatever 
he  thought  he  ought  to  do  in  this  matter,  and  he 
and  Mr.  Harrison  went  around  to  Mr.  Markle's 
office,  where  the  Tourons  were. 

Here  there  was  soon  a  stormy  scene.  Old  Mr. 
Touron  would  listen  to  nothing  that  Mr.  Welford 
or  Mr.  Harrison  said,  and  insisted  that  matters 
should  be  instantly  settled. 

He  complained  loudly  of  the  treatment  received 
by  his  son,  and  of  the  negligence  and  delay  of 
Mr.  Markle.     At  last  Mr.  Harrison  spoke  up. 

"  If  you  choose  to  press  your  affair,"  he  said, 


236     THE  YOUNG   MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

"  perhaps  we  can  also  press  something  on  our 
side." 

He  then  told  the  story,  which  Phil  had  given 
him,  of  Emile's  assault,  and  the  theft  of  the  gun. 

Mr.  Alexander  Muller  had  heard  of  the  arrival 
of  the  Tourons,  and  had  strolled  into  Mr.  Markle's 
office,  where  nobody  seemed  to  notice  his  presence. 
Before  Mr.  Harrison  had  quite  finished  his  story 
he  went  out. 

"  What  you  say  to  that  ?"  asked  Mr.  Touron,  of 
his  son,  when  the  lawyer  had  finished. 

"It  is  not  true !"  said  Emile.  "It  is  all  one 
vile  tale !" 

And  he  went  on,  at  considerable  length,  to  assert 
that  this  was  only  part  of  the  persecution  to  which 
Phil  and  the  other  boys  were  subjecting  him. 

"  What  proof  have  you  of  the  charge  you 
make?"  asked  Mr.  Touron  of  Mr.  Harrison. 

"  We  can  bring  forward  the  testimony  of  Philip 
Berkeley,"  said  Mr.  Harrison,  "the  boy  whose 
life  was  threatened,  and  from  whom  the  gun  was 
taken.  His  character  has  been  proved  to  be  an 
excellent  one,  and  I  believe  his  testimony  would 
be  received  by  any  jury  in  this  county." 

"  It  is  not  as  good  as  zat !"  cried  Emile,  snap- 
ping his  fingers.  "  I  can  prove  what  he  and  ze 
ozers  haf  done  to  me,  and  my  word  will  be  as 
good  as  his." 


THE   YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL     237 

"  Excuse  me  for  interrupting  your  conversa- 
tion," said  Mr.  Alexander  Muller,  who  had  re- 
entered the  room  a  minute  or  two  before,  "  but 
this  gun  which  that  young  gentleman  left  between 
the  mattresses  of  his  bed,  on  the  evening  when  he 
so  suddenly  went  away  from  town,  may  be  useful 
in  proving  the  charge  which  Mr.  Harrison  has 
made." 

When  Emile  saw  Old  Bruden,  he  stepped  back 
quickly,  as  if  he  were  afraid  of  it.  Then  he  sud- 
denly exclaimed, — 

"  I  know  not'ing  about  zat  gun  !  I  never  saw 
it  before !" 

"  The  tavern-keeper  informs  me,"  continued 
Mr.  Muller,  "  that  no  one  but  myself  has  occupied 
the  room  in  which  I  found  the  gun  since  that 
young  gentleman  left  it.  He  also  asserts  that  this 
gun  belongs  to  Mr.  Godfrey  Berkeley.  He  knows 
it  very  well.  It  has  been  in  the  neighborhood  a 
long  time.  It  is  also,  as  you  see,  without  a  ram- 
rod, which  corresponds  with  young  Berkeley's 
story,  as  Mr.  Harrison  has  just  told  it.  But  I 
measured  the  barrels  with  a  stick,  and  I  find  it  is 
loaded,  although  neither  barrel  went  off,  and  these 
two  caps  were  snapped,"  and  he  slightly  raised 
the  hammers,  and  showed  the  two  split  percussion- 
caps.  "  I  can  swear,"  he  added,  "  that  this  is 
the  condition  in  which  I  found  it." 


238     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL 

"I  think,"  said  Mr.  Welford,  who  had  care- 
fully attended  to  everything  that  was  going  on, 
"  that  without  any  reference  to  the  mortgage  pro- 
ceedings or  anything  else,  we  should  get  out  a 
warrant  against  this  young  man.  It  is  due  to 
him,  as  well  as  to  all  parties  concerned,  that  the 
case  should  be  investigated  before  a  justice  of  the 
peace.  You  must  not  think  that  we  are  trying 
to  intimidate  you,"  he  continued,  addressing  Mr. 
Touron.  "This  matter,  as  I  said  before,  has 
nothing  to  do  with  the  other  affair." 

So  saying,  he  left  the  office,  accompanied  by 
Mr.  Harrison  and  Alexander  Muller,  the  latter 
carrying  Old  Bruden  carefully  under  his  arm. 

Mr.  Touron  leaned  back  in  his  chair  and 
thought  over  the  matter.  He  was  very  much 
afraid  that  this  charge  against  Emile  could  be 
proved.  He  had  no  confidence  in  his  son's  word, 
and  the  matter  was  a  very  serious  one. 

Mr.  Touron  was  a  prudent  man,  and  considered 
the  subject  carefully.  In  pressing  the  proceedings 
against  Mr.  Berkeley's  estate,  he  did  not  wish  to 
recover  the  money  which  was  due  him.  He  only 
desired  that  the  place  might  be  sold  by  the  sheriff 
that  he  might  buy  it.  He  already  owned  property 
in  Boontown,  and  had  long  wished  to  possess  Hy- 
son Hall,  which  he  intended  to  make  his  summer 
residence. 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     239 

He  knew  that  if  he  turned  the  Berkeleys  out 
of  it  in  the  way  he  proposed,  it  would  make  him 
unpopular  in  the  neighborhood  for  a  time ;  but 
he  supposed  that  this  feeling  would  soon  pass 
away,  and  he  did  not  care  much  about  it.  But 
if,  almost  at  the  same  time  that  Hyson  Hall  was 
sold  by  the  sheriff,  his  son  should  be  brought  to 
trial  here  on  a  charge  that  might  send  him  to  the 
penitentiary,  his  unpopularity  might  be  a  very 
serious  thing. 

A  jury  selected  from  this  vicinity  would  not  be 
likely  to  deal  gently  with  Emile.  He  thought  it 
better,  therefore,  to  wait  awhile  before  pressing 
the  foreclosure  matter,  and  see  how  things  would 
turn  out.  In  six  months,  more  interest  would  be 
due  on  the  mortgage,  and  he  felt  quite  certain 
that  there  would  be  no  money  to  pay  it.  Godfrey 
Berkeley  would  not  have  run  away  if  he  had  not 
been  bankrupt,  and  it  was  not  at  all  likely  that 
there  would  be  another  steamboat  for  the  boy  to 
save.  In  six  months  he  could  get  the  property 
without  any  trouble. 

He  therefore  arranged  with  Mr.  Markle  that 
the  foreclosure  business  need  not  be  pressed  for 
the  present,  and  left  the  office  with  his  son,  in- 
tending to  quietly  take  the  first  train  for  New 
York ;  but  before  he  reached  the  station  Emile  was 
arrested,  and  taken  before  a  justice  of  the  peace. 


240     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

Phil  and  Mr.  Muller  were  sent  for,  and  gave 
their  testimony,  and  at  the  conclusion  of  the  ex- 
amination, Emile  was  required  to  give  bail  for  his 
appearance  in  court  early  the  next  month.  His 
father  gave  the  required  bail,  and  the  two  left 
town. 

Of  course,  this  affair  created  a  great  deal  of 
talk  in  Boontown,  and  it  interfered  very  much 
with  the  sleep  of  certain  persons  at  Hyson  Hall, 
and  at  the  Webster  and  Poole  farms. 

As  soon  as  the  cheque  was  received  the  interest 
on  the  mortgage  was  paid,  and  the  small  sum 
remaining  was  divided  among  the  three  boys. 
Phoenix  bought  his  knife,  which  he  kept  for  a 
long  time,  and  which  he  always  called  his  Thomas 
Wistar.  ■ 


CHAPTER   XXVII. 


THE    LONELY    SUMACH. 


Mr.  Alexander  Muller  remained  some  days 
in  Boontown,  and  for  the  greater  part  of  the  time 
he  was  quite  busy  with  the  affairs  which  brought 
him  there.  But  there  came  a  day  in  which  he 
had  nothing  to  do,  and  it  struck  him  it  would  be 
a  good  idea  to  take  a  holiday,  and  have  a  long 
stroll  in  the  woods.  He  was  a  good  deal  of  a  nat- 
uralist, and  was  very  fond  of  woodland  rambles. 

When  he  left  Mr.  Markle's  office,  on  the  day 
of  the  Touron  affair,  he  had  taken  Old  Bruden 
back  to  the  tavern,  where  he  supposed  Phil  would 
call  for  it.  But  Phil's  mind  had  been  much  occu- 
pied, and  he  had  not  thought  of  the  gun.  Mr. 
Muller  determined,  therefore,  that  he  would  walk 
down  some  evening  to  Hyson  Hall,  and  carry  Old 
Bruden  home. 

But  when  he  decided  to  give  himself  a  holiday, 

16  241 


242     THE  YOUNG  MASTEK  OF  HYSON  HALL 

he  thought  there  could  be  no  objection  to  his 
taking  Old  Bruden  with  him,  especially  as  he  in- 
tended afterwards  to  give  himself  the  trouble  to 
walk  all  the  way  to  Hyson  Hall  to  return  it. 

The  thought  came  into  his  mind  that  it  would 
be  well  perhaps  to  leave  the  gun  in  the  condition 
it  then  was,  as  it  might  be  used  in  the  approach- 
ing trial  of  young  Touron.  But  Mr.  Muller  had 
his  own  ideas  about  that  trial,  and  he  did  not  be- 
lieve the  gun  would  ever  be  needed.  Besides  that, 
he  did  not  know  of  any  other  gun  he  could  borrow, 
and  he  felt  very  much  like  having  one  with  him, 
in  case  he  should  see  anything  he  wished  to  shoot. 
He  therefore  bought  a  small  quantity  of  powder 
and  shot,  and  a  box  of  caps ;  with  these,  and  a 
luncheon  in  his  pocket,  and  Old  Bruden  on  his 
shoulder,  he  started  for  the  Green  Swamp.  He 
had  no  ramrod  for  his  gun,  but  he  cut  one  from 
the  first  dogwood  tree  he  met  with. 

He  had  never  been  in  the  Green  Swamp,  but 
he  had  heard  a  good  deal  about  it,  and  he  wished 
to  explore  it  as  far  as  possible.  He  wandered 
about  the  whole  of  the  morning,  finding  a  great 
many  things  to  interest  him  in  the  way  of  mosses, 
ferns,  and  other  specimens  of  woodland  growth. 

He  found,  also,  that  it  would  have  been  just  as 
well  if  he  had  not  brought  Old  Bruden  with  him, 
for  he  saw  nothing  at  all  at  which  he  cared  to  take 


THE   YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     243 

a  shot.  There  were  no  birds  of  any  value,  and 
although  a  rabbit  occasionally  jumped  from  its 
cover  and  went  skipping  away  into  the  bushes, 
this  was  not  the  season  to  shoot  rabbits. 

Besides  being  entirely  useless,  Old  Bruden  was 
a  real  inconvenience  to  him,  for  it  was  necessary, 
in  order  to  push  his  way  into  the  heart  of  the 
woods,  for  him  to  cross  wide  expanses  of  swamp- 
lands, from  which  the  place  derived  its  name. 
He  frequently  had  to  make  his  way  from  one  tus- 
sock of  weeds  and  grass  to  another,  and  as  the 
distance  between  these  tussocks  was  sometimes 
four  or  five  feet,  and  the  intervening  ground  very 
wet  and  soft,  he  found  that  in  making  his  long 
steps  and  jumps  a  heavy  gun  was  very  much  in 
his  way.  But  he  had  it  with  him,  and  there  was 
nothing  to  do  but  to  carry  it  along  as  well  as  he 
could. 

After  a  time,  he  reached  a  stream  of  water, 
some  eight  or  ten  feet  wide,  which  seemed  to  bar 
his  way  entirely.  Had  it  been  an  ordinary  stream, 
he  might  have  waded  across,  but  in  a  swampy 
place  like  this  he  did  not  know  but  he  might  sink 
up  to  his  waist  if  he  stepped  into  this  apparently 
shallow  piece  of  water ;  and  to  stick  fast  in  the 
middle  of  this  lonely  wood  did  not  at  all  suit  his 
fancy.  He  sat  down  on  a  little  piece  of  dry 
ground  and  ate  his  lunch,  and  then  he  determined 


244     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

to  find,  if  possible,  some  place  where  he  could 
cross  this  brook: 

The  ground  beyond  seemed  somewhat  higher 
and  drier,  as  if  it  were  drained  by  this  running 
stream.  The  bank  on  his  side,  too,  afforded  better 
walking  than  the  swamp-land  he  had  recently 
crossed. 

He  therefore  pushed  his  way  up  the  stream, 
hoping  that  he  would  come  to  a  place  where  the 
banks  would  be  near  enough  together  and  firm 
enough  for  him  to  jump  across ;  but,  though  he 
walked  a  long  distance,  the  stream  did  not  seem  to 
narrow. 

At  last  he  reached  a  place  where  the  bushes 
grew  quite  thickly  on  either  side,  although  he 
found  little  difficulty  in  pushing  his  way  along. 

Soon,  to  his  great  delight,  he  came  to  the  trunk 
of  a  large  tree  that  had  fallen  diagonally  across 
the  stream.  It  was  not  a  very  easy  thing  to  walk 
on  this  log,  but  Mr.  Muller  stepped  boldly  on  it, 
and  using  the  gun  as  a  balancing-pole,  he  got  over 
without  a  slip.  On  the  other  side  he  found,  as  he 
had  expected,  good  walking,  with  very  little  under- 
brush among  the  trees.  Guiding  himself  by 
means  of  a  pocket-compass  toward  what  he  sup- 
posed must  be  the  centre  of  the  wood,  he  trudged 
gayly  onward. 

Before  long,  he  came  to  a  space  which  was  cov- 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     245 

ered  by  low  evergreens,  and,  above  these,  he  could 
see  at  a  distance  a  little  knoll  or  hill.  On  the  top 
of  this  knoll,  the  near  side  of  which  seemed  rocky 
and  almost  bare  of  trees,  there  grew  a  tall  bush, 
or  little  tree,  on  which  he  could  here  and  there 
see  a  red  leaf  glowing  in  the  sunshine.  A  short 
distance  behind  this  bush  the  forest  seemed  to  rise 
again,  thick  and  shady. 

"  It  is  early  for  leaves  to  turn  red,"  said  Mr. 
Muller  to  himself.  "  That  must  be  a  sumach- 
bush,"  and  he  walked  toward  it. 

Just  as  he  reached  the  bottom  of  the  little  hill, 
he  heard  a  stir  in  the  tufted  grass. 

"What  is  that?"  he  thought,  and  instantly 
stopped  and  cocked  his  gun. 

Old  Bruden  would  have  been  freshly  loaded 
if  the  dogwood  ramrod  had  grown  with  a  screw  at 
the  end,  so  that  Mr.  Muller  could  have  drawn  out 
the  old  loads.  But  he  had  sifted  some  powder 
into  the  nipples  of  the  gun,  and  had  put  on  fresh 
percussion-caps,  and  was  content  to  fire  out  the 
old  loads. 

Something  now  quickly  glided  from  the  tuft, 
slipped  rapidly  over  the  ground  in  front  of  him, 
and  disappeared  in  another  thicket. 

It  was  a  large  blacksnake,  but  it  passed  before 
him  so  suddenly  and  swiftly  that  Mr.  Muller  was 
not  ready  to  fire  at  it.     But  he  would  be  sure  to 


246     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

take  a  shot  at  it  if  it  appeared  again.  He  would 
be  very  glad  to  kill  a  large  snake  like  that.  He 
would  take  the  skin  home  and  stuff  it.  It  would 
be  quite  a  curiosity. 

Mr.  Muller  stepped  forward  a  few  paces  and 
stood  ready,  his  eyes  fixed  upon  the  thicket.  In 
half  a  minute  the  blacksnake  appeared  again, 
and  rushed  directly  up  the  hill  with  that  rapid 
motion  peculiar  to  these  reptiles. 

Mr.  Muller  took  good  aim  at  him,  and  when  he 
thought  he  had  him  well  covered  with  the  muzzle 
of  his  gun,  he  pulled  the  forward  trigger.  The 
cap  snapped  loudly,  but  there  was  no  report. 

Instead  of  that,  a  man's  voice  shouted, — 

"  What  are  you  about  ?" 

Utterly  astonished,  Mr.  Muller  looked  beyond 
the  point  where  the  snake  had  been,  and  found 
that  he  was  aiming  his  gun  almost  directly  at  a 
man  who  was  lying  on  the  ground  in  the  shade  of 
the  tall  sumach. 

The  snake  had  been  on  a  little  rise  in  the 
ground  when  he  pulled  the  trigger,  and  if  the 
gun  had  gone  off,  a  great  part  of  the  charge  would 
probably  have  struck  the  man,  who  was  lying  on 
the  ground  not  many  yards  beyond. 

The  man,  who  had  been  reading,  sprang  to  his 
feet,  leaving  his  book  wide  open  on  the  grass. 
He  looked  startled  and  angry,  as  well  he  might. 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     247 

But  before  he  could  say  or  do  anything,  Mr. 
Muller  hastened  forward  to  explain. 

"  I  was  not  aiming  at  you,  sir.  I  was  going  to 
fire  at  a  large  snake  that  just  passed  near  rue." 

"  But  you  ought  to  be  more  careful,"  replied  the 
other.  "  If  your  gun  had  gone  off  you  certainly 
would  have  hit  me." 

"  I  am  generally  very  careful,"  said  Mr.  Mul- 
ler ;  "  but  who  in  the  world  could  have  imagined 
that  a  man  would  be  lying  on  the  ground  in  this 
lonely  spot  ?" 

"  That  is  true,  perhaps,"  said  the  other ;  "  and, 
on  my  part,  I  never  could  have  imagined  that 
anybody  would  come  to  this  lonely  spot  to  shoot 
snakes.  And  may  I  ask,  sir,  what  you  are  doing 
with  my  gun  ?" 

"  Your  gun  !"  exclaimed  Mr.  Muller,  and  for  a 
moment  he  seemed  stupefied,  and  then  his  face 
began  to  shine  as  if  it  had  been  lighted  up  from 
inside.  "  Are  you  Mr.  Godfrey  Berkeley  ?"  he 
cried. 

"  Yes,  I  am,"  said  the  other,  shortly. 

Mr.  Muller  laughed  aloud. 

"  Why,  I  have  been  wanting  to  find  you  for 
ever  so  long !  And  who  could  have  supposed  I 
would  stumble  on  you  here  ?" 

Mr.  Berkeley  now  seemed  quite  annoyed  and 
angry. 


248     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

"  You  had  no  right  to  look  for  me,  sir,  who- 
ever you  may  be !  If  I  choose  to  seek  quiet  and 
privacy,  no  one  is  authorized  to  intrude  upon 
me." 

"  I  am  sure,  sir,  I  was  not  trying  to  intrude 
upon  you  this  time,  although  I  admit  I  have  been 
inquiring  for  you  in  various  places.  I  came  here 
for  sport  and  recreation,  and  I  sujypose  these 
woods  are  as  free  to  me  as  to  any  one  else." 

"Yes,  they  are,"  said  Mr.  Berkeley,  "but  I 
did  not  think  that  any  one  but  myself  would 
penetrate  to  this  secluded  spot.  How  did  you  get 
over  the  stream  down  there  ?  The  bottom  is  very 
soft." 

"  I  found  a  fallen  tree  lying  across  it,"  said  Mr. 
Muller. 

"You  must  have  been  very  anxious  to  shoot 
snakes,"  remarked  the  other.  "  That  fallen  tree 
is  surrounded  by  a  thicket  that  I  did  not  suppose 
any  one  would  care  to  penetrate." 

"  I  wished  to  explore  the  forest,"  said  Mr.  Muller, 
"  and  so  pushed  on  toward  its  centre.  And  the 
way  I  happen  to  have  your  gun  with  me  is  this  : 
I  found  it,  a  few  nights  ago,  in  the  bed  where  I 
was  sleeping,  and  where  the  Touron  boy  hid  it, 
after  he  attempted  to  shoot  your  nephew,  Philip 
Berkeley." 

"  What  in  the  name  of  common  sense  are  you 


"  You  had  no  right  to  look  for  me,  .sir,  whoever  you  may  be!' 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     249 

talking  about?"  cried  Mr.  Berkeley.  "Shoot  my 
nephew  !     Are  you  crazy  ?" 

"  No,  I  am  not  crazy,"  said  Mr.  Muller,  very 
quietly,  "  and  you  need  not  alarm  yourself.  No 
one  has  been  injured.  If  you  will  sit  down  here 
in  the  shade  I  will  tell  you  the  whole  story.  It  is 
a  long  one,  and  I  am  rather  tired." 

The  two  then  seated  themselves  in  the  shade  of 
the  sumach,  and  the  man  with  the  black  straw  hat 
told  Mr.  Godfrey  Berkeley  the  story  of  the 
troubles  at  Hyson  Hall  as  he  had  had  it  from 
Chap  Webster ;  he  also  related  the  startling  events 
which  had  since  occurred. 

These  accounts  greatly  excited  Mr.  Berkeley. 
He  frequently  interrupted  Mr.  Muller  with  excla- 
mations of  astonishment,  and  when  all  was  told, 
he  sprang  to  his  feet  and  exclaimed, — 

"  I  must  leave  here  instantly  !" 

"  You  need  to  be  in  no  particular  hurry,"  said 
Mr.  Muller.     "  Everything  is  all  settled  now." 

"  Nevertheless,  I  must  return  immediately," 
said  Mr.  Berkeley,  "  and  if  you  will  wait  a  few 
minutes  I  will  walk  back  with  you." 

So  saying,  Mr.  Berkeley  picked  up  his  book 
and  hurried  to  a  group  of  large  trees,  which  stood 
some  distance  back  from  the  lonely  sumach. 

Mr.  Muller  followed  him,  and  was  much  sur- 
prised to  see  him  approach  a  neat  little  log  hut, 


250     THE   YOUNG   MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL 

which  was  quite  concealed  from  the  open  ground 
by  a  clump  of  bushes. 

Mr.  Berkeley  entered,  and  the  other  looked  in 
at  the  door.  There  was  a  low  bed  on  one  side  of 
the  cabin.  On  a  small  table  and  a  shelf  were  a 
number  of  books,  in  leather  bindings,  and  a  valise 
stood  in  the  corner.  Outside,  by  the  door,  were  a 
few  cooking  utensils. 

"  Do  you  live  here,  sir  ?"  asked  Mr.  Muller. 

"  Yes,"  said  Mr.  Godfrey,  who  was  busily  put- 
ting a  few  things  into  his  valise,  "  I  have  lived  in 
this  cabin  for  several  weeks,  and  I  expected  to 
spend  the  rest  of  the  summer  here.  I  suppose 
you  want  to  know  why  I  have  been  leading  this 
hermit  life  ?" 

"  Of  course  I  have  no  right  to  inquire,"  said 
Mr.  Muller,  "  but  I  am  burning  with  curi- 
osity." 

"  I  am  so  glad  you  found  me,"  said  Mr.  Berke- 
ley, "  although  you  did  it  accidentally,  that  I  feel 
quite  willing  to  tell  you  all  about  my  coming  here. 
I  will  do  so  as  we  walk  through  the  woods." 

"  I  am  also  extremely  glad  I  found  you,"  re- 
marked Mr.  Muller,  who  had  said  nothing  yet 
about  his  own  reasons  for  wishing  to  see  Mr. 
Berkeley,  preferring  to  wait  until  the  mind  of  the 
other  should  not  be  so  occupied  and  excited  by 
the  affairs   of  which  he  had  just  heard.      "  And 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL     251 

what  is  more,"  lie  continued,  "  I  am  greatly  re- 
joiced that  this  gun  did  not  go  off." 

"  And  I  more  than  you,"  said  Mr.  Berkeley. 
"  I  knew  Old  Bruden  could  not  be  depended  on 
for  sure  fire,  but  I  never  expected  to  derive  any 
advantage  from  that  fact.  And  now,"  added  he, 
taking  up  his  valise,  and  preparing  to  padlock 
the  door  of  his  hut,  "  I  think  we  are  ready  to 
go." 

"  Do  you  intend  to  leave  all  those  books  here  ?" 
asked  Mr.  Muller,  in  surprise. 

"  Yes,"  said  Mr.  Berkeley,  "  I  brought  them 
here  by  degrees,  and  I  can't  carry  them  all  away 
at  once.  Besides,  I  may  want  to  come  back  here 
again.  I  think  they  will  be  quite  safe,  for  I  am 
certain  that  no  one  but  you  and  myself  has  yet 
discovered  that  fallen  tree  among  the  bushes." 

As  the  two  walked  away — the  one  carrying  the 
gun  and  the  other  the  valise — Mr.  Berkeley  told 
his  little  story. 

"  I  came  out  here,"  he  said,  "  to  study  law." 

"  To  study  law  !"  exclaimed  Mr.  Muller. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  other.  "  You  need  not  be 
surprised,  and  you  need  not  laugh.  The  idea  is 
not  original  with  me,  and  the  thing  has  been  done 
before.  A  young  friend  of  mine  read  law  for  four 
months  in  that  very  hut,  which  he  built.  He  ap- 
proached it,  however,  by  a  difficult  path  through 


252     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL 

the  woods,  not  knowing  of  our  convenient  bridge. 
He  came  for  the  same  reason  that  I  came, — to  study 
undisturbed.  His  provisions  were  brought  to  him 
on  certain  days  by  his  brother,  who  left  them 
under  a  tree  more  than  a  mile  from  here,  where 
my  friend  went  to  get  them.  His  brother  never 
knew  where  the  hut  was  situated.  I  go  over  to 
the  little  village  of  Bridgeville  for  my  provisions. 
It  is  a  long  walk,  but  I  don't  have  to  go  often." 

"  But  I  cannot  understand  why  you  should 
come  here,"  said  Mr.  Muller,  to  whom  the  idea 
of  a  man  owning  a  fine  house  and  choosing  to 
live  in  a  little  hut  like  that  seemed  utterly  absurd. 

"  When  I  was  a  young  man,"  said  Mr.  Berkeley, 
"  I  studied  law,  but  soon  tired  of  it.  Lately,  since 
I  have  determined  to  settle  down  to  a  quiet  life,  I 
have  tried  farming ;  but  I  do  not  think  I  succeed 
very  well  as  a  farmer.  I  lose  more  money  than  I 
make." 

Here  Mr.  Muller  gently  rubbed  his  hands  to- 
gether, as  if  the  remark  pleased  him. 

"  I  recently  determined  to  take  up  law  again," 
said  Mr.  Berkeley,  "  and  began  to  read  at  home ; 
but  there  were  so  many  things  there  to  disturb 
me,  and  continually  to  distract  my  mind,  that  I 
found  it  impossible  to  study.  I  therefore  decided 
to  follow  my  young  friend's  example,  and  betake 
myself  to  the  woods.     I  found  his  house  in  good 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     253 

order,  and  soon  made  it  quite  habitable.  Of 
course,  I  allowed  no  one  to  know  where  I  had 
gone,  as,  otherwise,  I  would  have  been  bothered 
almost  as  much  as  if  I  had  stayed  at  home.  I 
would  like  you  to  understand,"  continued  Mr. 
Berkeley,  "  that  I  have  good  reasons  for  wishing 
to  study  law, — especially  a  particular  branch  of  it. 
There  are  large  tracts  of  land  in  the  West,  which 
were  acquired  by  grants  and  purchases  by  my 
grandfather,  to  which  I  know  I  have  a  legal  right. 
It  is  to  make  myself  able  to  investigate  the  title 
to  these  lands,  and  to  prosecute  my  claims  to  them, 
that  I  wish  to  become  master  of  the  laws  concern- 
ing such  matters.  I  am  not  a  rich  man,  and  I 
have  every  desire  to  better  my  fortunes." 

"  A  very  laudable  desire,  truly,"  said  Mr.  Mul- 

ler ;  "  and    I   hope   to   be   able   to But  no 

matter  about  that  now.  Don't  let  me  interrupt 
you,  sir." 

"  Of  course  I  had  no  idea,"  continued  Mr. 
Berkeley,  "  that  when  I  went  away  there  would 
be  any  money  troubles  at  Hyson  Hall.  Mr. 
Touron,  who  is  a  relative  by  marriage,  has  re- 
peatedly assured  me  that  I  need  give  myself  no 
concern  about  the  payments  on  the  mortgage  that 
he  holds,  if  at  any  time  it  should  be  inconvenient 
for  me  to  make  them.  He  never  before  even 
asked  for  his  interest,  and  I  intended  in  the  fall, 


254     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL 

when  I  generally  go  to  New  York,  to  have  a  set- 
tlement with  him,  but  I  did  not  imagine  he  would 
make  any  trouble  when  I  was  absent." 

"  Perhaps  that  is  the  very  reason  he  tried  to 
foreclose,"  said  Mr.  Muller.  "  He  probably 
thought  you  would  never  turn  up  again,  and  the 
chance  was  too  good  to  lose." 

"That  may  be  very  true,"  said  Mr.  Berkeley. 
"But  tell  me  more  about  this  young  Touron.  He 
is  the  son  of  the  old  man's  first  wife,  but  I  had 
almost  forgotten  his  existence." 

Mr.  Muller  then  proceeded  to  tell  all  he  had 
heard  about  Emile,  and  related  how,  in  addition 
to  his  more  serious  offences,  he  had  gone  to  Hyson 
Hall  and  cut  up  all  sorts  of  didos,  such  as  hang- 
ing a  lot  of  bells  on  the  roof,  threatening  the 
housekeeper,  and  he  knew  not  what  else  besides. 

Mr.  Berkeley  stopped  short  in  his  walk. 

"  Hung  bells  on  the  roof?"  he  said.  "  Are  you 
sure  of  that  ?" 

"  Oh,  yes !"  said  Mr.  Muller  ;  "  these  things  are 
quite  the  town  talk.  He  found  the  house  de- 
serted one  day,  except  by  the  women,  and  it  seems 
he  did  pretty  much  as  he  pleased." 

This  statement  seemed  to  affect  Mr.  Berkeley 
more  than  anything  he  had  yet  heard,  and  for 
some  time  he  walked  on  without  saying  a  word. 
When  they  reached  the  outskirts  of  the  town,  Mr. 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     255 

Berkeley  asked  his  companion  if  he  still  intended 
to  go  to  Hyson  Hall. 

"  Yes,"  said  Mr.  Mnller,  "  I  proposed  to  take 
this  gun  there,  and  I  also  have  something  which  I 
wish  to  say  to  you,  and  it  may  take  some  time  to 
talk  about  it." 

"  In  that  case,"  said  Mr.  Berkeley,  "  I  shall  be 
very  glad  if  you  will  go  on  to  the  house  now. 
You  must  stay  all  night,  and  I  will  talk  with  you 
to-morrow.  I  wish  to  stop  to  see  Mr.  Welford, 
but  would  like  to  have  a  note  reach  my  nephew 
before  my  arrival." 

Mr.  Muller  consented  to  this  arrangement,  and 
Mr.  Berkeley,  writing  a  short  note  in  pencil  on  a 
piece  of  paper  which  he  tore  from  a  blank-book, 
directed  it  to  Phil,  and  gave  it  to  his  companion. 
The  two  then  separated,  Mr.  Berkeley  promising 
to  be  at  Hyson  Hall  in  time  for  supper. 

"  I  hope  that  young  Webster  won't  be  there," 
thought  Mr.  Muller,  as  he  trudged  away, — "  that 
is,  if  he  has  not-  forgotten  the  sunken  treasure- 
ship  and  the  three  brothers." 

But  Chap  was  there,  and  he  had  not  forgotten. 


CHAPTER    XXVIII. 


THE  RETURN  OF  THE  RUNAWAY. 

When  Phil  Berkeley  read  the  note  that  was 
brought  to  him  by  the  man  with  the  black  straw 
hat,  he  gave  a  shout  of  joy  which  rang  through 
the  house. 

"  Read  that,"  he  cried  to  Chap,  who  had  been 
on  the  porch,  making  calculations  on  a  piece  of 
paper,  and  who  now  ran  in  to  see  what  was  the 
matter. 

Chap  seized  the  note  and  read : 

"  My  very  dear  Phil, — From  the  bottom  of  my  heart 
I  beg  your  pardon  for  the  cruel  words  I  wrote  you.  It 
was  all  a  mistake.  I  long  to  see  you  again,  and  shall  be 
with  you  very  soon  after  you  read  this. 

"  Your  affectionate  uncle, 

"  Godfrey." 

The  joyful  news  spread  rapidly  over  the  place, 
and    in   ten    minutes    Joel    was    driving   a   light 

256 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     257 

wagon  toward  town,  to  meet  Mr.  Berkeley  and 
bring  him  home. 

Never  was  prodigal  uncle  received  more  warmly. 
Phil,  of  course,  was  wild  with  joy.  Even  if  Mr. 
Berkeley  had  not  returned  that  day,  the  note  he 
had  received  would  have  made  him  the  happiest 
boy  on  earth. 

Chap  was  a  good  deal  more  overjoyed  than  if 
one  of  his  own  uncles  had  arrived,  and  Susan's 
face  had  not  been  so  radiant  for  many  a  year. 

Even  Mr.  Muller,  possessed  with  the  pervading 
spirit,  could  scarcely  resist  welcoming  Mr.  Berke- 
ley to  Hyson  Hall.  But  as  he  had  not  the  slight- 
est right  to  do  so,  he  kept  discreetly  in  the  back- 
ground and  smiled  his  gratification. 

During  supper,  and  long  after  the  meal  was 
over,  the  talking,  the  questioning,  and  the  expla- 
nations went  on.  There  was  so  much  to  ask  and  to 
tell  that  there  seemed  to  be  no  end  to  it  all.  Mr. 
Muller  went  to  bed  early,  for  he  had  done  a  great 
deal  of  walking  that  day.  Chap  would  have  been 
glad  to  sit  up  all  night  to  talk  and  listen,  but, 
after  a  time,  he  discreetly  followed  the  example  of 
Mr.  Muller. 

As  he  was  about  to  pass  the  open  door  of  the 
room  which  that  gentleman  occupied,  he  sk^ped 
and  asked, — 

"Are  you  asleep,  sir ?" 

17 


258     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL 

Mr.  Muller  felt  very  much  inclined  to  say  th  „t 
he  was,  but  instead  of  that  he  muttered  that  he 
was  not  quite  asleep  yet — -just  dropping  off,  he 
thought. 

"  I'll  not  bother  you  now,"  said  the  considerate 
Chap ;  "  but  to-morrow  you'll  find  me  all  ready 
to  talk  about  that  business." 

And  he  passed  on. 

"  That  is  more  than  I  shall  be,"  said  Mr.  Mul- 
ler to  himself.  "  I  wonder  if  there  is  such  a  thing 
as  a  sunken  ship  on  the  place?" 

And  he  went  to  sleep  and  dreamed  that  he  had 
gone  to  bed  in  a  ship  that  was  buried  three  hun- 
dred feet  under  mud  and  sand ;  and  he  was  in  a 
great  deal  of  trouble  when  he  thought  how  diffi- 
cult it  would  be  for  him  to  get  out  when  it  was 
time  for  him  to  go  ashore  for  breakfast. 

Phil  and  his  uncle  sat  up  until  long  after  their 
usual  bedtime.  As  soon  as  they  were  alone,  Mr. 
Berkeley  explained  to  Phil  the  reason  he  wrote 
the  note  which  had  caused  the  boy  so  much 
grief. 

"  When  I  walked  over  this  way  on  the  morning 
of  that  day,"  said  Mr.  Berkeley.  "  I  came  after 
Old  Bruden,  because  I  thought  it  would  be  a  good 
thing  to  have  a  gun  out  there  in  the  woods  with 
me,  and  I  picked  up  a  little  fellow  on  the  road  to 
send  to  the  house.     I  thought  it  very  likely  you 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     259 

would  come  running  to  meet  me  when  you  heard 
where  I  was,  and  so  I  did  not  stay  by  the  bridge 
where  the  boy  left  me,  but  went  over  to  the  top 
of  one  of  the  little  hills  in  the  field,  to  watch  and 
see  who  came  from  the  house. 

"  I  knew  very  well  that  if  you  came  to  me  you 
would  wheedle  and  coax  me  into  giving  up  my 
splendid  plan  of  study.  When  I  saw  you  coming, 
and  without  the  gun,  as  if  my  wishes  and  requests 
were  not  worth  considering,  I  was  a  little  provoked, 
and  hurried  down  the  other  side  of  the  hill,  and 
by  the  time  you  reached  the  bridge  I  was  far 
enough  away.  I  did  not,  however,  go  back  to  my 
little  hut,  and  after  a  time  I  began  to  think  how 
disappointed  you  must  have  been  when  you  came 
to  the  bridge  and  did  not  find  me.  It  also  dawned 
upon  me  that  I  was  not  behaving  in  a  very  sensi- 
ble manner.  It  would  be  much  better  to  go  home 
and  get  what  I  wanted  and  trust  to  you  not  to 
annoy  me  with  questions  as  to  where  I  was  and 
what  I  was  doing.  So,  in  the  course  of  the  after- 
noon, I  started  back  for  Hyson  Hall,  thinking  it 
very  likely  I  should  spend  the  night  there  and 
return  to  my  hut  the  next  day ;  but  when  I  came 
near  the  house,  I  heard  those  bells  and  soon  saw 
them  on  the  roof.  I  don't  know  of  any  sound  that 
could  have  affected  me  more  disagreeably  than  the 
jingling  of  those  bells.     I  knew  that  you  under- 


260     THE   YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

stood  how  much  I  disliked  them,  and  it  pained 
me  to  think  you  should  hang  them  up  while  I  was 
gone.  And  when  I  considered  that  you  knew  I 
had  been  in  the  neighborhood  that  morning,  it 
seemed  to  me  that  you  had  hung  them  in  revenge 
for  my  having  taken  myself  out  of  your  way.  I 
was  so  angry  at  this  imagined  insult  that  I 
marched  off  and  mailed  you  that  abominable 
note." 

"  It's  all  right  now,  uncle,"  said  Phil.  "  I 
don't  wonder  you  thought  I  was  a  contemptible 
rascal.  If  I  hadn't  been  in  such  a  hurry  to  start 
off  and  look  for  you,  Emile  would  not  have  dared 
to  come  here,  the  bells  would  not  have  been  hung 
up,  you  would  have  been  home  in  the  afternoon, 
and  everything  would  have  been  all  right." 

"  It  often  happens  that  way,  my  boy,"  said  Mr. 
Berkeley.  "  But  you  have  had  a  hard  time,  Phil, 
and  you  have  done  splendidly.  If  any  mistakes 
were  made  they  were  not  your  fault.  You  have 
saved  me  this  property,  and  I  shall  never  forget 
what  I  owe  you.  When  I  went  away,  I  expected 
you  would  have  some  bothers  and  perplexities, 
but  I  thought  it  would  be  a  useful  experience  for 
you  to  weather  through  them.  It  would  have 
been  impossible  for  me  to  imagine  that  you  would 
have  such  anxieties  and  trials  as  those  you  have 
gone  through.      And,  although  I  always   had  a 


THE  YOTJNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL     261 

good  opinion  of  you,  I  would  not  have  supposed 
that  you  would  have  stood  up  against  your  diffi- 
culties so  manfully." 

As  to  the  deficiency  in  money  for  household 
and  other  expenses,  Mr.  Berkeley  easily  explained 
that.  He  had  expected  a  certain  sum  which  was 
owing  to  him  to  be  paid  on  his  account  to  Mr. 
Welford,  which  that  gentleman  had  not  received. 
If  this  payment  had  been  properly  made,  there 
would  have  been  no  difficulty  in  carrying  on  the 
Hyson  Hall  establishment  until  Mr.  Berkeley's 
return. 

"  But,  uncle,"  said  Phil,  as  they  were  preparing 
to  go  up-stairs,  "  there's  one  thing  I  don't  under- 
stand. You  said,  in  the  long  letter  you  left  for 
me  when  you  went  away,  that  you  couldn't  stay 
at  home  any  longer  because  life  here  was  so  mo- 
notonous. Now,  it  seems  to  me  it  must  have  been 
ever  so  much  more  monotonous  in  a  little  log  hut 
in  the  woods,  where  you  never  saw  a  soul.  Of 
course  I  can  understand  why  you  couldn't  study 
here,  where  you  are  interrupted  every  five  minutes 
by  some  of  us." 

"  It  was  the  monotony  of  interruption  that  dis- 
turbed me,"  said  Mr.  Berkeley,  smiling.  "Every 
day  it  was  the  same  thing.  I  would  plan  out  a 
certain  amount  of  reading,  and  the  day  would 
often  pass  without  my  opening  a  book.     In  the 


262     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

woods  it  was  very  different.  Law  is  generally- 
considered  a  very  dry  and  musty  subject,  but  my 
studies  were  very  fresh  and  interesting  to  me. 
The  whole  affair  seemed  like  an  adventure.  It 
reminded  me  of  part  of  my  life  in  South  America, 
and  I  enjoyed  it  greatly.  I  was  not  only  leading 
an  untrammelled  life  in  the  woods,  but  I  was  doing 
something  useful  and  sensible  besides,  and  this  is 
more  than  I  can  say  of  a  good  deal  of  the  out-door 
life  of  my  earlier  years.  And,  then,  there  was  the 
spice  of  running  away  from  a  tyrannical  nephew. 
That  made  it  all  the  jollier,  don't  you  see?" 

"  No,  I  don't,"  said  Phil.  "  But  some  of  these 
days  I  may  run  away  from  you,  just  to  see  how 
pleasant  it  is." 

"If  you  do,"  said  Mr.  Berkeley,  "I'll  let  old 
Touron  buy  Hyson  Hall,  and  when  you  are  tired 
of  roving  you  can  come  back  and  live  with 
Emile." 

When  the  two  went  up-stairs,  Chap  called  out 
to  them  from  his  room.  He  had  evidently  been 
keeping  himself  awake  on  j^urpose  to  hail  them 
when  they  came  up. 

"  Phil,"  cried  Chap,  "  did  you  ask  your  uncle 
if  he  saw  anything  of  the  lonely  sumach  when  lie 
was  in  the  Green  Swamp  ?" 

"  That  boy  again  !"  groaned  Mr.  Muller,  as  he 
turned  over  in  his  bed. 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     263 

"  No,  I  didn't,"  said  Phil.  "  I  never  thought 
of  it.  But  you  have  heard  of  that  lonely  sumach, 
haven't  you,  uncle  ?     Did  you  see  it  ?" 

Mr.  Berkeley  stopped  at  the  door  of  Chap's 
room,  which,  like  the  other  bedrooms  on  that 
floor,  opened  on  the  large  central  hall. 

"  Yes,  I  have  heard  of  it,"  he  said,  "and  I  am 
quite  sure  I  have  found  it.  It  was  not  far  from 
my  hut,  and  I  did  most  of  my  reading  in  its 
shade." 

"  In  its  shade !"  cried  both  of  the  boys  to- 
gether. 

"  Yes,"  said  Mr.  Berkeley.  "  The  ground  un- 
der it  was  smooth  and  grassy,  and,  as  it  stands  by 
itself  on  a  little  hill,  there  was  more  air  out  there 
than  in  the  thick  woods  about  my  hut." 

"Then  it  isn't  poisonous,  after  all!"  cried  Chap, 
who  was  sitting  up  in  bed. 

"  No,"  said  Mr.  Berkeley,  "  I  certainly  did  not 
find  it  so." 

"  That  is  a  disappointment !"  cried  Chap. 

"  What !"  exclaimed  Phil.  "  Did  you  want  me 
to  have  a  dead  uncle  ?" 

"  No,"  replied  Chap,  "  I  didn't  mean  that ;  but 
still Oh,  you  understand  !     Good-night !" 

And  he  lay  down,  and  drew  the  bed-covers 
around  his  ears. 

He  had  earnestly  longed  to  find  that  tree,  and 


264     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

now,  alas !  it  was  not  a  deadly  tree  at  all.  One 
of  life's  charms  had  vanished. 

The  next  morning,  after  breakfast,  Mr.  Berke- 
ley noticed  Old  Bruden  standing  in  a  corner  of 
the  hall,  where  Mr.  Muller  had  placed  it  when  he 
brought  it  home,  the  afternoon  before.  Taking 
up  the  gun,  Mr.  Berkeley  raised  the  hammers, 
and  then  remarked, — 

"  Have  you  forgotten,  Phil,  that  it  is  against 
orders  to  leave  a  loaded  gun  about  the  house  in 
this  way  ?  There  is  a  fresh  cap  on  one  of  these 
barrels." 

Phil  explained  that  he  had  had  so  much  to 
think  about  the  night  before  he  had  not  noticed 
the  gun  at  all. 

Thereupon  Mr.  Berkeley,  having  put  upon  the 
other  nipple  a  percussion-cap,  which  Mr.  Muller 
produced  from  one  of  his  pockets,  went  out  on  the 
porch  to  fire  out  the  loads. 

He  pointed  the  gun  over  the  lawn,  where  there 
was  nothing  that  could  be  injured,  and  pulled  one 
trigger.  A  cap  snapped.  Then  the  other  trigger. 
Another  snap. 

"  What  is  the  matter  with  this  old  gun  ?"  said 
Mr.  Berkeley,  coming  into  the  hall.  "I  must 
draw  the  loads.     Where  is  the  ramrod  ?" 

Phil  got  it  from  the  umbrella-rack,  where  he 
had  put  it  when  he  brought  it  home.     Mr.  Berke- 


THE  YOUNG   MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL     265 

ley  then  fixed  the  screw  and,  running  the  ramrod 
into  one  of  the  barrels,  proceeded  to  draw  the 
load.  First  he  pulled  out  a  piece  of  raw  cotton, 
then  another  piece,  and  then  some  more. 

"  Why,  this  load  seems  to  be  all  wadding !"  said 
Mr.  Berkeley,  in  surprise.  "  Here  is  quite  a  pile 
of  it." 

The  interested  and  somewhat  amazed  group 
standing  around  the  gun  was  now  joined  by 
Jenny. 

"  Them's  Susan's  loads,"  she  said  to  Phil. 
"  She  j3ut  'em  in  when  she  took  the  gun  up  to  her 
room.  She  wanted  to  make  sure  it  wouldn't  go 
off." 

"  And  she  certainly  did  make  sure  of  it !"  cried 
Phil,  as  his  uncle  pulled  the  cotton  from  the  other 
barrel. 

Phil  was  now  obliged  to  tell  the  story  of  Susan 
and  the  gun,  though  he  touched  so  lightly  upon 
the  bad  points  of  it  that  Chap  stuck  his  hands  in 
his  pockets  and  strutted  up  and  down  in  disgust. 
Mr.  Berkeley  understood  the  story  quite  well, 
although  he  chose  to  say  little  about  it. 

"Susan  is  a  prudent  woman,"  he  remarked, 
"  and  her  cotton  loads  have  probably  saved  at 
least  one  of  our  lives." 


CHAPTER    XXIX. 


THE    ONE    FELLOW    WHO    WAS    LEFT    YET. 


During  the  morning,  Mr.  Berkeley  and  Phil 
were  busily  engaged  in  farm  affairs  with  Jenny's 
father  and  Joel.  Chap  had  thought  of  going 
home,  but  Mr.  Berkeley  had  urged  him  not  to 
break  up  the  family  party  so  soon,  and  Mr.  Mul- 
ler  remained  until  he  should  have  an  opportunity 
of  entering  upon  his  own  business. 

Chap  was  delighted  when  he  saw  the  man  with 
the  black  straw  hat  sitting  alone  under  one  of  the 
trees  on  the  lawn,  but  it  cannot  be  truthfully 
said  that  the  heart  of  Mr.  Muller  leaped  very 
high  for  joy  when  he  saw  the  long-legged  boy 
striding  down  upon  him. 

"  What  about  that  wreck  ?"  said  Chap.  "  I've 
been  just  aching  for  a  chance  to  speak  to  you. 
We  ought  to  go  right  to  work.  It  won't  do  to  let 
this  family  slide  back  again  into  misery  the  very 

266 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     267 

minute  they've  got  a  little  hoist  out  of  it.  From 
what  I  can  make  out,  there'll  be  lots  of  money 
wanted  yet.  And  that  wreck  has  got  to  be 
bounced  out  of  the  mud  in  short  order.  I  suppose 
you  are  all  ready  to  pitch  right  in.  Have  you 
told  Mr.  Berkeley  what  you're  here  for  ?" 

"  Well,  no,"  said  Mr.  Muller,  "  I  haven't  yet. 
There  has  been  no  time.  And  I  am  sure  there  is 
no  hurry  about  that  wreck.  It  has  been  in  the 
mud  a  long  time,  and  it  will  wait  there  till  we 
want  it." 

"No,  it  won't,"  cried  Chap.  "No,  it  won't. 
There  isn't  a  night  but  I  tremble  for  that  wreck. 
That  French  boy  knows  all  about  it,  and  you 
can't  tell  when  he  and  his  father  will  come  up  the 
river  in  a  boat,  with  divers  and  submarine  armor, 
and  they'll  have  a  hole  cut  in  the  side  of  that 
ship,  and  all  the  treasure-boxes  taken  out,  before 
we  know  a  thing  about  it." 

"  That  would  be  bad,  indeed,"  said  Mr.  Muller, 
"  but  I  don't  see  how  it  is  to  be  prevented,  unless 
a  guard  is  kept  up  on  the  river-bank." 

«  Prevented  !"  cried  Chap.  "  The  way  to  pre- 
vent their  doing  it  is  to  do  it  ourselves — slam- 
bang  !  without  waiting  a  minute  longer  than  we 
can  help." 

Mr.  Muller  did  not  know  what  reply  to  make 
to  his  enthusiastic  companion. 


268     THE   YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

"  Suppose  we  go  and  look  at  this  wreck,"  he 
said,  after  a  moment's  thought. 

This  suited  Chap  exactly,  and  without  further 
ado  the  two  proceeded  to  the  river-bank.  The 
tide  was  not  very  low,  and  only  the  extreme  ends 
of  the  exposed  ribs  of  the  treasure-ship  could  be 
seen. 

"  She  is  pretty  well  covered  up,"  remarked  Mr. 
Muller. 

"  You  can  see  more  of  her  at  low  tide,"  said 
Chap,  "  but  we  don't  care  anything  about  that 
part  of  the  ship.  That  is  the  bow,  and  most 
likely  there  is  nothing  in  it  but  sailors'  clothes 
and  such  stuff." 

"  Which  would  be  dreadfully  old-fashioned 
now,"  remarked  Mr.  Muller. 

"  The  part  we  want  to  get  at,"  continued  Chap, 
"  is  the  stern,  which  is  out  there  in  deep  water, 
and  never  can  be  seen  at  all.  The  treasure  would, 
very  naturally,  be  in  that  part  of  the  ship." 

"Quite  likely,"  said  Mr.  Muller,  "but  it  is 
frightful  to  think  of  its  being  out  there  in  deep 
water." 

"Yes,"  said  Chap,  "and,  what  is  more,  one 
side  of  it  must  be  jammed  against  the  shore,  and 
pretty  well  covered  up  with  mud." 

"  The  channel  must  come  quite  near  the  bank 
in  this  part  of  the  river,"  said  Mr.  Muller. 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     269 

"  Oh,  yes,"  replied  Chap,  "  a  good  stone's-throw 
from  where  we  stand  it  is  deep  enough  to  float 
anything.  Down  below  here,  near  the  place  where 
the  Thomas  Wistar  was  run  ashore, — they've  towed 
her  off  now, — it's  shallow  ever  so  far  out,  and  it's 
pretty  much  the  same  thing  above." 

Mr.  Muller  looked  about  the  place  where  he 
was  standing,  and  seemed  to  be  considering  some- 
thing. 

"  Well,"  said  Chap,  impatiently,  "  what  do  you 
say  ?  Are  you  ready  to  go  right  ahead  with  this 
thing  ?  You  may  think  it  is  none  of  my  business, 
but  I've  been  pushing  on  the  affair  for  ever  so 
long,  and  I  want  to  be  on  hand  when  anything  is 
done." 

"  I  have  no  doubt  you  will  be,"  said  Mr.  Muller, 
— "  no  doubt  of  it  at  all.  But  I  really  cannot 
counsel  immediate  action  in  this  matter.  A  great 
many  things  have  to  be  considered  first.  I  think 
we  had  better  let  the  subject  drop  for  the  present." 

"  All  right !"  said  Chap.     "  Drop  her  !" 

And,  without  another  word,  he  marched  off, 
leaving  Mr.  Muller  standing  on  the  river-bank. 

Disgusted  with  human  beings,  especially  with 
the  man  in  the  black  straw  hat,  Chap  walked 
directly  home. 

"  I  did  think,"  he  said  to  himself,  "  that  when  I 
got  to  work  with  a  man  something  would  be  done ; 


270     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

but  men  are  just  as  pokey  and  shilly-shallying  as 
boys.  But  there  is  one  fellow  left  yet !"  he  con- 
tinued, giving  himself  a  bold  slap  on  the  chest ; 
and,  with  a  stern  and  determined  mind,  the  one 
fellow  who  was  left  yet  strode  rapidly  home. 

In  the  course  of  a  few  days  Mr.  Berkeley  made 
arrangements  by  which  he  procured  the  money  to 
refund  to  the  three  boys  the  amount  they  had 
received  from  the  owners  of  the  Thomas  Wistar. 
Phil  declared  he  did  not  want  his  share,  but  his 
uncle  insisted  he  should  take  it.  It  had  been 
fairly  earned  by  his  own  exertions,  and  he  must 
keep  it.  The  sum  was  accordingly  handed  over 
to  Mr.  Welford  to  be  invested  in  Phil's  name. 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  with  your  money  ?" 
asked  Chap,  the  first  time  he  met  Phoenix  after 
the  distribution. 

"  We  have  been  talking  the  matter  over  a  great 
deal  at  our  house,"  said  the  stout  Phoenix,  "  and  I 
haven't  made  up  my  mind  whether  I'll  put  my 
money  into  land  or  into  education." 

"  The  whole  of  it  into  one  of  them  ?"  eagerly 
asked  Chap. 

"  Yes,"  said  Phoenix.  "  Mother  wants  me  to 
go  to  college ;  but  father  says  if  I  buy  a  piece 
of  land  down  below  our  place,  and  get  it  ditched, 
and  put  into  grass,  and  cleared  up,  it  will  be  a 
valuable  property  by  the  time  I  am  married." 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     271 

"  Married !"  cried  Chap,  in  accents  of  scorn. 
"  Think  of  a  fellow  waiting  to  get  the  good  of  his 
money  till  he  is  married !" 

"  From  what  I  have  heard  the  folks  say,"  said 
Phcenix,  "  I  should  think  that  would  be  the  best 
time  to  get  the  good  of  it.  But  I  don't  know  that 
I'll  put  my  money  into  land.  I  may  switch  off 
into  a  straight-out  education.  Mother  says  that 
is  better  than  any  property.  What  are  you  going 
to  do  with  yours  ?" 

"  Well,"  said  Chap,  "  a  part  of  mine  is  to  be 
put  into  stocks,  along  with  Phil's.  That  is  what 
they  all  thought  was  the  best  thing  to  do  with  it 
for  the  present.  But  there's  a  certain  lot  of  it 
I'm  going  to  keep  for  my  own  square,  particu- 
lar, and  not-to-be-talked-about  purposes,  and  no 
questions  asked  or  answered." 

"  All  right,"  said  Phcenix,  "  nobody  is  asking 
any." 

The  next  day  Chap  made  a  visit  to  the  city, 
and  spent  the  whole  day  there.  He  paid  his  own 
way.  It  was  vacation  time,  and  no  one  interfered 
with  him. 

On  his  return  he  was  asked  a  good  many  ques- 
tions, especially  by  Helen,  but  answered  none. 
For  several  days  he  spent  a  good  deal  of  time 
away  from  home,  but  he  did  not  go  to  Hyson 
Hall,  nor  did  Phcenix  see  anything  of  him. 


272     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL 

Mr.  Berkeley  was  not  long  in  making  up  his 
mind  not  to  return  to  his  hut  in  the  woods ;  but, 
although  his  affairs  demanded  his  attention  at 
home,  he  determined  to  continue  the  study  of  law, 
for  he  was  not  too  old  to  achieve  success  in  this 
profession,  and  he  felt  he  ought  to  devote  his  life 
to  something  for  which  he  was  better  suited  than 
scientific  farming. 

A  small  room  in  the  third  story  was  fitted  up 
as  his  study.  His  books  and  papers  were  taken 
there,  and  strict  orders  were  given  that  during 
certain  hours  in  the  day  he  was  not  to  be  disturbed 
on  any  pretext. 

It  was  much  easier  to  observe  these  orders  than 
it  would  have  been  before  the  time  in  which  our 
story  began ;  for  now  John  Morgan — Jenny's 
father — was  regularly  installed  as  farmer  and 
general  manager  on  the  Hyson  Hall  estate,  while 
Joel  was  retained  as  his  assistant. 

Phil  was  much  pleased  with  the  new  arrange- 
ment, and  listened  with  great  interest  to  all  the 
plans  which  were  discussed. 

This  pleased  Mr.  Berkeley,  for  he  wanted  Phil 
to  like  a  country  life,  and  to  understand  better 
than  he  had  ever  done  how  to  manage  with  com- 
fort and  profit  an  estate  like  Hyson  Hall. 

It  may  be  here  remarked  that  Emile  never 
came  to  Boontown  to  stand  his  trial.     His  father 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     273 

thought  it  prudent  to  send  him  to  France  on  busi- 
ness, and  his  bail  was  forfeited. 

The  man  with  the  black  straw  hat  had  some 
time  since  told  his  business  and  gone  away.  He 
had  come  to  Hyson  Hall  to  try  to  induce  Mr. 
Berkeley  to  build  a  town.  This  seemed  like  a 
vast  enter  prise  to  suggest  to  a  private  gentleman, 
but  Mr.  Muller  had  studied  the  subject  for  a  long 
time,  and  had  very  clear  and  definite  ideas  about  it. 

He  was  quite  ready  to  prove  that  it  would  be 
an  easy  thing  for  Mr.  Berkeley  to  have  a  small 
town  on  his  property,  if  the  work  should  be  begun 
in  the  way  which  he  (Mr.  Muller)  recommended. 
It  was  plain  enough  that  a  town  was  needed  in  this 
locality.  The  people  living  along  the  river  for. 
several  miles  below  had  to  go  to  Boontown  for 
their  groceries  and  other  merchandise,  and  their 
crops  and  produce  had  to  be  hauled  to  that  j)lace 
to  be  shipped  to  the  city  and  other  points. 

Moreover,  a  little  town  or  village  on  this  beauti- 
ful part  of  the  river-bank  would  attract  people 
who  would  like  to  have  a  rural  home  not  too  far 
from  the  city.  Nothing  of  this  kind  was  offered 
at  Boontown.  That  place  was  not  attractive,  and 
its  river  front  was  particularly  disagreeable. 

If  Mr.  Berkeley  would  lay  out  his  land  along 
the  river  in  building  lots,  and  buy,  perhaps,  some 
adjoining  tracts,  and  then  build  a  wharf,  so  that 

18 


274    THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL 

the  steamboats  could  stop  there,  and  put  up  a 
store,  the  thing  would  be  begun,  and  the  place 
would  then  grow  of  itself.  Mr.  Muller  was  ready 
to  stock  and  take  charge  of  the  store.  That  was 
in  his  line  of  business. 

Mr.  Berkeley  listened  with  great  attention  to 
the  long  discourse  of  his  visitor,  and  then  re- 
marked that  the  idea  was  not  a  new  one,  and  had 
been  seriously  thought  of  before. 

His  father  had  greatly  desired  to  have  a  small 
settlement  on  his  place,  and  had  gone  so  far  as  to 
put  up  a  wharf,  so  that  people  could  come  up  here 
by  boat  and  look  at  the  property,  and  the  pro- 
duce of  the  surrounding  country  could  be  shipped 
from  this  point.  But  the  first  steamboat  that 
stopped  there  struck  on  a  sunken  wreck,  that  lay 
not  far  from  the  wharf,  and  old  Mr.  Berkeley  had 
to  pay  for  the  damages  done  to  her.  Disgusted 
with  this,  he  had  had  the  wharf  taken  down,  and 
the  piles  pulled  up,  for  fear  that  some  other  steam- 
boat would  make  a  stop,  and  more  damages  would 
have  to  be  paid. 

"  But  could  not  a  wharf  be  built  farther  out,  or 
at  some  other  point?"  asked  Mr.  Muller. 

"  There  is  no  other  point  suitable  for  a  steam- 
boat-landing on  my  property,"  said  Mr.  Berkeley. 
"  The  channel  makes  a  bend  inland  here,  and 
above  and  below  the  water  is  shallow  for  some 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     275 

distance  out ;  besides  it  would  be  very  expensive 
to  build  a  wharf  into  the  deep  water  beyond  the 
sunken  wreck.  It  is  not  the  part  that  you  may 
see  sticking  out  of  the  mud  that  is  dangerous,"  he 
continued.  "It  is  another  portion  of  the  vessel 
which  is  sunk  in  the  channel,  but  not  far  from  the 
bank.  The  condition  of  my  fortune  does  not 
warrant  me  in  removing  this  wreck,  which  has 
been  there  so  long  that  it  has  probably  become  a 
part  of  the  bank.  You  see,  therefore,  that  as  it  is 
impossible  for  us  to  have  a  steamboat  wharf  here 
at  present,  it  is  useless  to  talk  of  starting  a  town." 
Thus  the  matter  was  disposed  of,  and  Mr. 
Muller  discovered  that  although  he  had  not  had 
the  slightest  idea  of  the  fact  when  he  told  Chap 
the  story  of  the  three  brothers,  the  sunken  ship 
had,  after  all,  very  much  to  do  with  his  business 
at  Hyson  Hall. 


CHAPTER    XXX. 


THE    GREAT    MOMENT    ARRIVES. 


Early  one  afternoon  Chap  Webster  might 
have  been  seen  rowing  a  little  boat,  near  the 
water's  edge,  in  front  of  the  Hyson  Hall  estate. 
In  the  stern  of  the  boat  was  a  box  with  a  piece  of 
canvas  thrown  over  it,  and  in  the  bow  were  several 
large  packages.  These  things  had  been  brought 
home  by  Chap,  in  a  wagon,  that  morning  from 
Boontown,  where  they  had  been  sent  to  him  from 
the  city. 

When  Chap  reached  a  spot  nearly  over  the 
sunken  vessel — and  he  found  the  place  very 
easily,  for  it  was  marked  by  a  little  floating  buoy 
which  he  had  put  there  after  many  previous 
soundings  and  surveys — he  anchored  his  boat 
with  a  long  rope,  and  began  to  carry  out  the  great 
scheme  on  which  his  mind  had  so  long  been  set. 

A  large   package    securely   tied    up    in   India- 

276 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     277 

rubber  cloth,  with  the  ends  of  a  long,  double 
wire  inserted  into  it,  was  lowered  to  the  bottom  of 
the  river,  where  it  rested  as  near  as  possible  to  the 
side  of  the  sunken  ship.  The  upper  ends  of  the 
double  wire  were  then  attached  to  the  ends  of 
two  long,  covered  wires,  which  lay  in  separate 
coils  in  the  boat.  This  being  done,  Chap  pulled 
up  his  anchor  and  slowly  paddled  his  boat  to 
shore,  carefully  letting  out  his  wires  with  one 
hand  as  he  paddled  with  the  other. 

This  was  quite  a  difficult  thing  to  do,  and  it 
would  have  been  much  better  if  he  had  had  one 
of  the  other  boys  to  help  him.  But  he  had  come 
to  the  conclusion  that  there  must  be  no  faint 
hearts  in  this  matter,  and  he  had  said  nothing  to 
them  about  it. 

When  he  reached  the  shore,  he  fastened  the 
boat  to  a  stake,  and  taking  one  coil  of  wire  in  his 
arms,  he  carried  it  up  to  the  fence,  which  stood  at 
a  little  distance  from  the  water's  edge,  carefully 
uncoiling  it  as  he  proceeded. 

Then  he  laid  it  along  the  bottom  of  the  fence, 
until  he  came  to  a  little  brook  which  ran  to  the 
river  through  a  pasture-field,  and  which  was  bor- 
dered by  thick  bushes.  He  laid  the  wire  along 
the  edge  of  this  brook  until  it  was  all  uncoiled. 
Then  he  went  to  his  boat  and  brought  the  other 
coil  of  wire,  laying  it  by  the  side  of  the  first. 


278     THE   YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

Having  thus  carried  these  wires  up  the  brook 
as  far  as  they  would  reach,  he  went  to  the  boat 
and  brought  his  box,  which  contained  an  electric 
battery,  to  the  spot  where  the  farthest  ends  of  his 
wires  lay. 

It  was  evident  that  all  the  distances  had  been 
measured  and  the  localities  carefully  surveyed. 
Having  placed  the  box  under  some  overhanging 
bushes,  where  it  could  not  readily  be  seen,  Chap 
walked  along  the  line  of  his  wires,  carefully  con- 
cealing them  with  leaves  and  weeds  wherever  he 
thought  it  was  necessary. 

There  were  no  cattle  in  the  fields  that  afternoon, 
and  as  people  seldom  passed  that  way,  it  was  likely 
that  his  wires  would  be  unnoticed  and  undisturbed 
for  an  hour  or  so  at  least.  Having  settled  these 
matters  to  his  satisfaction,  Chap  got  into  his  boat 
and  rowed  away. 

The  first  thing  Chap  did  on  reaching  home  was  to 
go  to  Helen  and  tell  her  all  about  this  great  affair. 

His  sister  had  often  heard  him  talk  of  the 
wreck  and  the  treasure  he  thought  it  contained  ; 
but  when  she  heard  that  Chap  had  made  all  the 
arrangements  for  blowing  the  ship  out  of  the  water, 
and  that  it  was  to  be  done  that  very  afternoon, 
she  was  indeed  astounded. 

"  Don't  you  intend  to  tell  the  other  boys  ?"  she 
asked. 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     279 

"  No,"  he  answered.  "  They'll  be  sure  to  want 
to  put  it  off  for  this  thing  or  that,  and  might  want 
to  wait  till  we  could  have  tin  hoppers  made  to 
catch  the  money  in,  or  something  of  that  kind. 
I've  been  waiting  long  enough  to  do  this  thing, 
and  I'm  not  going  to  hold  back  another  day. 
But  I  just  felt  I  couldn't  keep  it  all  to  myself,  so 
I  told  you,  for  I  know  you're  the  kind  of  girl 
who  won't  hinder.  Now  I'm  going  to  take  you 
down  with  me  to  see  the  thing  blow  up.  Would 
you  like  that?" 

"  Oh,  yes  !"  said  Helen,  her  eyes  sparkling,  "  if 
we  don't  have  to  go  too  near." 

"  We'll  keep  out  of  danger,"  said  Chap.  "  But 
I'm  going  to  do  something  more  for  you.  I'm 
going  to  let  you  touch  her  off!" 

"Me!"  cried  Helen.  "Oh,  Chap!  I  couldn't 
do  that !" 

"  Why,  it  is  nothing  to  do,"  said  Chap.  "  We'll 
be  far  enough  away,  and  you've  only  got  to  touch 
a  knob.  Get  your  hat  and  come  along.  We're 
going  to  have  the  grandest  blow-up  ever  heard  of 
in  these  parts." 

A  little  nervous  as  to  the  danger,  but  wild  with 
excitement  as  to  what  was  going  to  happen,  Helen 
ran  for  her  hat,  and  the  two  started  away,  walking 
across  the  fields  to  the  place  where  the  battery  had 
been  concealed. 


280     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

On  the  way,  Chap  explained  to  his  sister  all  his 
arrangements. 

"  According  to  what  I  can  make  out,"  said  he, 
"  I've  got  enough  giant-powder  sunk  by  the  side 
of  that  wreck  to  blow  up  two  ships." 

"  I  shouldn't  think  they'd  sell  that  stuff  to  a 
boy,"  said  Helen. 

"  It  isn't  everybody  who  takes  me  for  a  child," 
said  Chap,  loftily,  and  made  no  further  remarks 
on  the  subject. 

"  But  how  are  you  going  to  get  the  treasure  ?" 
asked  Helen,  presently.  "  Won't  it  be  scattered 
all  over,  in  every  direction  ?" 

"  Now,  look  here,  Helen,"  said  Chap,  "  I  don't 
want  you  to  be  making  objections.  I  didn't  let 
you  into  this  thing  for  that  purpose.  I've  put  the 
powder  on  the  outside  of  the  wreck,  and  it's  my 
opinion  that  most  everything  will  be  blown  in 
shore.  If  the  money  is  stowed  away  in  iron 
boxes,  perhaps  they'll  come  down  without  break- 
ing. But  we  can't  calculate  for  everything.  The 
main  thing  is  to  blow  her  up." 

Soon  after  this  the  two  arrived  at  their  destina- 
tion, and,  uncovering  his  battery,  Chap  exhibited 
it  to  his  sister,  and  explained  its  action. 

One  of  the  wires  which  came  from  the  jar 
which  contained  his  simple  battery  he  united  to 
the  end  of  one  of  his  wires  from  the  river.     The 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     281 

end  of  the  other  wire  was  laid  on  a  small  board 
which  covered  one  end  of  the  box,  and  was  held 
in  position  by  two  wooden  pegs.  Directly  over 
this  end  of  the  wire  was  the  end  of  the  other 
short  wire  which  came  from  the  battery,  and 
which  was  fastened  under  a  little  wooden  spring, 
which  Chap  had  made,  and  to  the  top  of  which  he 
had  fixed  a  small  knob  or  button. 

"  Now,  Helen,"  said  Chap,  when  everything 
had  been  made  ready,  "  you  can  see  just  how  the 
thing  will  work.  When  you  press  that  knob,  and 
push  the  spring  down,  the  two  ends  of  the  wires 
will  touch,  and  the  electric  circuit  will  be  com- 
plete. These  wires,  which  are  insulated  by  being 
covered  with  tape  dipped  in  paraffine,  except 
these  upper  ends,  which  don't  need  insulating,  as 
they  lie  on  wood,  which  is  a  non-conductor,  ex- 
tend from  the  battery  down  to  the  giant-powder 
at  the  bottom  of  the  river.  The  two  ends  which 
are  in  the  powder  are  united  by  a  little  piece  of 
thin  platinum  wire.  When  the  circuit  is  com- 
pleted by  pressing  down  the  wire  fastened  to  the 
spring,  the  electricity  runs  along  one  wire,  to 
come  back  by  the  other,  but  when  it  reaches  the 
little  platinum  wire  it  makes  it  red-hot,  and  that 
explodes  the  powder.  So,  you  see,  it  is  all  simple 
enough." 

"Yes,"  said  Helen,  a  little  hesitatingly,  "but 


282     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL 

you  must  have  studied  a  good  deal  to  understand 
it  all,  and  these  things  must  have  cost  a  good  deal 
of  money,  too." 

"  I  don't  mind  expending  time  or  capital,"  said 
Chap,  "  when  I  am  going  to  do  anything  of 
importance.  And  now  I  think  everything  is 
ready." 

He  then  ran  to  a  fence  near  by,  and  got  up  on 
the  top  rails,  from  which  he  could  get  a  view  of 
the  river  for  some  distance  up  and  down.  Jump- 
ing to  the  ground,  he  hastened  back  to  Helen. 

"  There  is  no  boat  nor  anything  in  sight !"  he 
cried,  "  and  the  great  moment  has  arrived.  Just 
push  down  that  knob." 

"  Oh,  Chap,  I  can't  do  it !"  cried  Helen,  spring- 
ing back. 

"  But  you  must !  I  want  you  to  have  the  honor 
of  touching  her  off.  It's  nothing  to  do,  and  it 
can't  hurt  you.     Just  press  down  the  knob." 

With  trembling  hand,  Helen  put  her  finger  on 
the  little  knob  and  pressed  it  down. 

A  great  boom,  not  loud,  but  deep  and  heavy, 
shook  the  air,  and  Chap,  who  was  standing  out- 
side the  bushes,  saw  a  column  of  water  rise  from 
the  river,  together  with  a  mass  of  mud  and  tim- 
bers. Smaller  objects  flew  high  into  the  air,  and 
as  the  wind  was  blowing  from  the  river,  a  sudden 
shower  of  spray  fell  all  around  him,  as  if  it  had 


^^yV';vrfv^ 


A  column  of  water  rose  from  the  river,  together  with  a  mass  of 
mud  and  timbers 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL     283 

been  raining.  Then  pieces  of  wood  came  thump- 
ing down,  some  in  the  field  near  by. 

One  large  stick,  nearly  three  feet  long,  stuck 
into  the  ground  not  a  dozen  yards  from  the  spot 
where  Helen  sat,  her  hands  before  her  eyes. 

Chai)  rushed  to  his  sister,  as  if  he  would  throw 
himself  over  her  to  protect  her,  but  there  was  no 
need  of  that.  Everything  that  was  coming  down 
had  come. 

"  Oh,  Helen  !"  he  cried.  "  I  might  have  killed 
you !  I  ought  to  have  had  ever  so  much  longer 
wires.  But  there  is  no  danger  now.  Let's  run 
down  and  see  how  it  looks." 

Before  they  reached  the  water's  edge,  it  was 
easy  to  see  that  something  very  unusual  had  hap- 
pened. The  river  was  still  heaving  and  tossing 
above  the  place  of  the  explosion.  The  water  was 
thick  and  dark  with  mud  for  some  distance  from 
the  shore.  Fresh  mud  was  scattered  over  every- 
thing,— the  leaves  and  trunks  of  trees,  the  grass, 
the  ground.  Pieces  of  timber,  some  half  in  and 
half  out  of  the  water,  and  some  thrown  high  up 
on  shore,  lay  scattered  about,  but  nothing  was 
floating  on  the  surface  of  the  river.  All  the 
woodwork  of  that  vessel  had  become  water-logged 
long  before,  and  such  of  it  as  had  fallen  into  the 
water  had  sunk  again  to  the  bottom. 

With  anxious  eyes  and  hurried  steps,  Chap  and 


284     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL 

Helen  went  up  and  down  the  beach,  looking 
here  and  there  and  everywhere,  but  they  found 
no  iron  boxes,  nor  did  they  see  a  single  piece  of 
gold  or  silver. 

Mr.  Berkeley  and  Phil,  with  Phoenix  Poole, 
were  sitting  on  the  porch  at  Hyson  Hall,  when 
they  heard  a  great  explosion  down  the  river. 
There  was  no  flash  or  smoke,  but  they  saw  black 
objects  flying  into  the  air. 

They  sprang  to  their  feet,  and  Phoenix  ex- 
claimed,— 

"  I'll  bet  a  thousand  dollars  that  is  Chap.  He's 
blown  up  the  ship." 

Without  another  word  all  three  started  off  at 
full  speed  for  the  river-bank.  When  they  reached 
the  spot,  they  found  Chap  and  Helen  still  search- 
ing among  the  fallen  timbers  and  clots  of  mud. 

When  the  story  had  been  told,  and  Chap  had 
explained  everything  to  the  astonished  Mr.  Berke- 
ley, Phil  exclaimed, — 

"  And  haven't  you  found  any  money  ?" 

"  Not  a  cent,"  said  Chap,  ruefully.  "  I  believe 
the  crew  must  have  been  paid  off  before  they  left 
the  ship." 

Mr.  Berkeley  appeared  much  excited  by  what 
had  occurred. 

"  Look  here,  young  man,"  he  cried,  clapping 
Chap  on  the  shoulder,  "  you  needn't  trouble  your- 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL     285 

self  about  not  finding  any  money.  If  you  have 
really  blown  that  old  wreck  out  of  the  channel, 
we'll  have  a  town  here,  and  I'll  give  you  a  corner 
lot.  I  never  thought  the  thing  could  be  done  so 
easily." 

"  Where  is  the  scow  ?"  said  Phil.  "  If  we 
could  get  a  grapnel  we  might  fish  np  something." 

The  boys  looked  up  and  down  the  beach,  but 
saw  no  scow.     And  then  Chap  pulled  a  long  face. 

"  I  forgot  the  scow  was  moored  here,"  he  said. 
"  I  guess  she's  blown  to  flinders.  But  I'll  pay 
you  for  it,  sir." 

"  Not  a  bit  of  it,"  cried  Mr.  Berkeley.  "  The 
old  tub  is  not  worth  considering.  Judging  from 
the  timber  lying  around  here,  there  can't  be  much 
of  the  wreck  left.  You  didn't  think,  young  lady," 
said  he,  addressing  Helen,  "  that  when  you  touched 
that  button  you  were  starting  a  town  ?" 

"  No,  indeed,  sir !"  said  Helen,  with  brighten- 
ing eyes. 

"  But  such  was  the  fact,"  said  Mr.  Berkeley ; 
"  and  if  we  ever  have  the  town  it  shall  be  called 
Helena." 

When  the  bed  of  the  river  was  afterwards  ex- 
amined, it  was  found  that  there  remained  no 
obstructions  to  navigation  which  had  not  been  so 
shattered  and  loosened  by  the  explosion  that  they 
could  easily  be  removed,  and  there  was  no  reason 


286     THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON   HALL 

why  a  wharf  at  that  point  could  not  be  used  by 
river  steamboats. 

It  was  not  long  before  Mr.  Muller  received  a 
letter  from  Mr.  Berkeley  assuring  him  of  his 
hearty  co-operation  in  the  matter  of  the  town  of 
Helena,  which  town  ultimately  proved  a  success, 
and  became  a  source  of  so  much  profit  to  Mr. 
Berkeley  that  the  incumbrances  upon  Hyson  Hall 
were  removed  long  before  he  had  made  out  his 
titles  to  his  Western  lands. 

The  first  time  the  man  with  the  black  straw 
hat  met  Chap,  he  warmly  shook  him  by  the  hand. 

"  I  didn't  suppose  anything  would  come  of  your 
explosive  ideas,"  he  said,  "  but  you  have  been  the 
best  man  of  us  all.  Mr.  Berkeley  says  he  is  going 
to  make  you  a  landed  proprietor." 

"  I  don't  want  any  town-lots,"  said  Chap. 
"  What  I  want  is  to  be  captain  of  a  tug-boat." 

"  All  right,"  said  Mr.  Muller.  "  If  the  town 
ever  owns  a  tug-boat,  I'll  see  that  you  command 
her." 

On  two  stout  brackets,  over  the  dining-room 
mantel-piece  at  Hyson  Hall,  and  secured  to  the 
wall  by  a  stout  hasp  and  padlock,  hangs  Old 
Bruden. 

When  Mr.  Berkeley  heard  Susan's  story  about 
the  gun,  her  superstition  pleased  his  fancy,  for  he 
was  an  imaginative  man. 


THE  YOUNG  MASTER  OF  HYSON  HALL     287 

"  It  shall  always  be  the  master's  gun,"  he  said, 
when  he  hung  it  there ;  "  and  when  we  shall  have 
built  our  town,  and  paid  our  debts,  and  I  shall  go 
to  the  city  to  practise  law,  Hyson  Hall  shall  be- 
long to  my  dear  Phil,  and  his  shall  be  the  master's 
gun." 


THE    END. 


